As the Solemnity of Saint Joseph approaches let us contemplate the betrothal and love of Joseph and Mary and how it can help couples today. It is mentioned very little in scripture. Yet it was the foundation for the family into which Jesus Christ was born. Blessed Pope John Paul II says in the church… [Read More]
World Marriage Encounters 2017
WWME (Worldwide Marriage Encounter) weekends for 2017 03/31/2017 08:00 pm – 04/02/2017 04:00 pm Austin WWME Weekend Wingate Hotel in Round Rock 06/09/2017 08:00 pm – 06/11/2017 04:00 pm Austin WWME Weekend St Elizabeth Non-residential 09/08/2017 08:00 pm – 09/10/2017 04:00 pm Austin WWME Weekend Wingate Hotel in Round Rock 11/03/2017 08:00 pm – 11/05/2017… [Read More]
The Song and the Priesthood
Recently, thanks to my Old Testament Writings class, I have spent a lot of time reading, meditating on, and writing about the Song of Songs. It is a marvelous book which I highly encourage you to read. In some ways, the Song is a remarkable book to find in the Bible. The Making very little… [Read More]
What Does a Marriage Culture Look Like? (Review: Helen Alvaré, “Restoring Culture from Confusion”)
Since the decision of the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges effectively legalized civil marriage between two people of the same sex in all 50 states, many opponents of same-sex marriage have been wondering what to do. Is there anything to do? The law has clearly come down on one side, and it’s not the… [Read More]
A Wedding Garment (Matt. 22:11)
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read about a guest who is not wearing “a wedding garment,” (22:11) and how the guest is bound hand and foot and expelled from the ceremony. What is this all about? This parable points to the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and holy orders and much more. We receive… [Read More]
Mercy: The force that overcomes everything (Or, thoughts on how to get unstuck)
Have you ever been in one of those arguments where you get sucked into the back and forth, like a frenzied game of tug-a-war? Except no one is playing, and in fact the whole emotional environment feels weighty and overly serious, like we’re arguing about way more than the dishwasher all of a sudden. Sometimes… [Read More]
Sunday Says January 17, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 66 After a long season of purple and white, we’re back to the green ordinary time this week. Reading 1 Isaiah 62:1-5 This week’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah is beautiful imagery of God espousing His people. No longer would the people of God be discarded or treated… [Read More]
Advent: The longing in our hearts for Love Incarnate
“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love, for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen” (1 Thes 3:12) We heard… [Read More]
Making a Man Out of You
You know, I really wish I could just go troll Instagram or Facebook without the lustful temptations that seem to be hiding around every other click. In the overly sexualized world that we live in, the idea of our sexuality is being seen less as a gift and more as a right. Unfortunately all this… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 4, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
October 4, 2015 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 140 (NAB Translation) (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Reading 1 Genesis 2:18-24 This week’s first reading comes to us from the well known reading from Genesis. This is the origin story of Eve in Adam’s search for a companion. This reading can be so familiar that it’s easy… [Read More]
Sunday Says – August 23, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection
August 23, 2015 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 122 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Joshua 24:1-2A, 15-17, 18B This week’s first reading from the Prophet Joshua is an idealized telling of the story of the people choosing to follow the Lord. In all likelihood, it wasn’t as organized as it sounds in this reading, but… [Read More]
The Hidden Sweetness of Marriage (Review: Humanum Series, Part Four)
“Marriage is hard.” I don’t quite know when it happened, but at some point, that became a movement. I’ve never been married, but from what I understand, it is, in fact, hard. The problem is that marriage is apparently so hard, and the “marriage is hard” movement so strong, that marriage now seems too hard…. [Read More]
Dynamic Marriage Conference – July 17-18, 2015
We are all in need of healing in some form from many of the past hurts and pains we have inevitably experienced in our life. One of the main missions of the public ministry of Jesus was to heal those that came to Him, and He still does it today. Marriage is an incredibly wonderful… [Read More]
3 Annoying Traits of a Catholic Husband That Point You to Heaven
Last night something rare happened: My husband and I found ourselves at the MOVIES. Shocking, I know. I’ll pause to let you collect yourself. (Seriously, we don’t go to the movies. We usually watch Netflix with the volume so low that we only catch about half of the dialogue and have to ad-lib the rest… [Read More]
You’re Not a Bad Mom If You Spend Time with People Who Are Not Your Baby
This segment of “Bad Mom” brings us to Part Two of this three part series. (See Part One here.) Mother’s Day was yesterday, and if your guilt about not being Super Mom 24/7 kept you from enjoying your well-earned day, then please, read this post. Preferably with a coffee or piece of chocolate. You’ve earned a… [Read More]
“God is it!” Facing the fear of loss
Something was wrong that day. I kept thinking maybe it was the pain med I was giving him for his broken ribs making him loopy. But something was wrong and I knew it. With an anguished heart I kept walking out into the back yard and breaking down sobbing, begging God to help us. I… [Read More]
An Open Letter to Angry Christians Against Gay Persons
Dear Reader, Before I begin, let me start off by explaining what this letter is NOT: It is not meant to be a theology lesson. (For info on the Catholic church’s teaching on gay “marriage”, look here and here.) It is not about the politics around being gay in the US. This letter is simply a reminder that we are… [Read More]
The World’s Greatest Love
As the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary approaches on March 19th let us contemplate the betrothal and love of Joseph and Mary, and how it can help couples and also single people in their search for a spouse. Pope Benedict XVI reminded us on July 5, 2010 that the “The… [Read More]
New Media and the Family: Pope Francis speaking on Covenant Culture
Just moments after the Pope’s audience with the Schoenstatt Movement in Rome, his words were reverberating in twitter and in blogs. Which words? The Pope’s strong words about the state of marriage today. These clear and straightforward words were picked up quickly and passed on. The world of the media heard them. “Marriage has never… [Read More]
When the Time Comes: Accepting Death Together
The room smelled like essential oils– the ones Peter brought to help Bob breath and to help with pain and anxiety: Eucalyptus, frankincense, myrrh, Inspiration (a blend), myrtle, peppermint. Every nurse who walked in commented on how good it smelled. I had continued the routine of rubbing them on Bob’s chest every 20 minutes or… [Read More]
One Love: the Diamond Gift of Chastity
A good book I am reading* begins by saying that the legend of the origin of the Indian Koohinoor diamond is that Krishna gave it to one of his disciples in response to his meditations. I tried to imagine Jesus giving me a diamond. “Have you ever given me a diamond, Jesus?” “If so, what… [Read More]
5 Relationship Myths Debunked
Cinderella. Belle. Jasmine. Disney’s version of Rapunzel. Disney’s version of Ariel. All of these love stories have their struggles – what with missing glass slippers, evil sorcerers, solitary confinement and being half-fish – but they all end the same way: happily and without problems. Hundreds of other movies and songs tell us the problems in… [Read More]
First Comes Love, Then Comes…
This past Saturday Pope Francis presided over a Mass during which several couples celebrated the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony (aka, Marriage). What made these couples “unique” according to social understanding of the Catholic faith is that all of these couples were either living together or who have had annulments. It seemed odd to the media… [Read More]
Facing Death Together: A reflection on my husband’s death
Over all these put on love, the perfect bond. I checked his blood oxygen level. I brought him medicine, kissing him when I gave it to him, as I always had. He responded feebly with almost imperceptible nods. He had become too weak to even raise a trembling hand anymore. I held him, caressed him,… [Read More]
Breaking the Girl, Part Two: The Hype of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and Why Slavery Isn’t Love
Let me start off by admitting that when I was in college I was addicted to romance novels. I would binge-read stacks of them in bed while eating my way through a roll of cookie dough. Healthy, right? It started out as a means of escape from my seemingly soul-crushing breakup with my boyfriend of… [Read More]
Honeymoon & Newlywed Myths, Realized
As a girl, and probably right up until I actually said “I do”, I assumed my honeymoon would be glamorous: all smiles and laughter, as my groom and I danced on the euphoric high of our perfectly magical nuptials, to the rhythm of tropical waves in the glow of a soft sunset. I mean, there… [Read More]
Mother’s Day, Mary & Meg
In honor of Mother’s Day and because it’s Mary’s month of May, I just can’t resist posting a plug for one my all time favorite books about women and mothers and Mary, by an amazing woman (but it isn’t only for women!). In 1934, Gertrude von le Fort published The Eternal Woman: The Timeless Meaning… [Read More]
Rediscovering Hope (Review: “The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years”)
I spend about half of my lunch break at work on Facebook, but I like to read something other than statuses and blogs for the second half. When I took this book to work, I was so embarrassed that I was careful to hide the cover. I work for a secular employer, and most of… [Read More]
What Engagement Taught Me About Single Life
When I was single and all of my close friends were single, life was pretty great. We stayed up watching movies, talking, or going out dancing. We had girls night all the time, talked about boys, and attended as many Catholic happy-hours that we could manage, always looking out for that one Catholic guy who… [Read More]
3 Ways the “My Five Wives” Pilot is Like a Punch to the Heart
As I prepare to get married and live with a dude, there are many changes happening in my life. One of those changes is getting cable TV, since my darling fiance’s quality of life dramatically improves when he is able to watch the Cornhuskers year-round. I never considered myself a big TV person, but now… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood: Patience – Part 4
The third attitude of evangelical parenthood is patience. As we write this, we’ve just returned from a stint at the grocery store – one that we thought was going to be 30 minutes. An hour and a half later, we’ve just put up the last of the groceries. And …. where are/were our children? Somewhere… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood: Readiness for Dialogue – Part 3
The second attitude of Evangelical Parenthood lies in a readiness for dialogue. All too often, as a parent, we can be “preachy”. That is, we desire to control any conversation to the extent that there may be a difference of opinion or lack of time. We, some of us more than others, really need to… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Change? No, thanks.
“Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.” – Robert C. Gallagher I don’t mind change. Well, I don’t mind little changes. For example, I rearrange my bedroom to match my moods. I would change my hair color for the same reason, if I was allowed to have blue/purple/pink/green hair at work. I love… [Read More]
Four Attitudes of Evangelical Parenthood: Approachability – Part 2
In order to answer our parental vocation to evangelize our children, Pope Francis says we must be approachable to our kids. We must develop and cultivate an attitude of approachability. As a parent, you want your children coming to you to ask difficult questions, right?! After all, if they don’t come to you, to whom… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Cold Feet
Confession: I’m terrified of getting cold feet. This fear can be applied both literally and figuratively, since my base temperature is that of a small lizard, and I have so much anxiety, that were I to use my powers for good, I could probably generate enough energy to run a small city. So, yeah cold… [Read More]
A Book That Changed My Mind (Review: “The End of the Affair”)
I can’t stand cheaters—the romantic kind, not the board game kind. (Okay, both kinds.) Trust in relationships is so important that I shudder when anything that purports to be entertaining makes infidelity seem okay. That’s why I don’t like The Notebook, and that’s why I regret seeing Something Borrowed, although I do like Ginnifer Goodwin…. [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Grief-Riddled Wedding Brain
I don’t even know how to describe the state I’m in right now. I want to cry and/or throw stuff and/or scream and/or burrow beneath my blankets and hide for awhile. I want people around me and/or I want to be alone. I want to plan my wedding and/or I never want to see another… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: I’m Not Marrying My Best Friend
Okay, so before you flip and lid and think, “Oh, no! How tragic! She’s settling for less than!”, just hear me out. I hear it over and over again: “I can’t wait to marry my best friend!” “Make sure you marry your best friend.” “He’s not just my husband, he’s my best friend!” Now I’m… [Read More]
The Giver and the Gift: A New Year’s Resolution
Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights – James 1:17 A little over 40 years ago, my mom taught me a lesson that I will never forget: The giver of a gift is always more important than the gift itself. I believe that it was either… [Read More]
Another Dating Blog: Hello Rome, Goodbye Singlehood
So, as surreal this is to type, I just got back from Rome last Saturday (after 23 hours of travelling through space and time). I’m still reeling from the experience of the whole thing; Rome is a pretty overwhelming place. Everywhere you turn there is something ancient, beautiful and gigantic in your view, taking you… [Read More]
