Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 2:16-21
What had started out as a smooth ride had now slowed down to an inexplicable crawl of traffic. For the first five minutes, I didn’t think much about it, but as time ticked on, I got increasingly frustrated, [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 1:1–18
Breathe in: You are here with me, God.
Breathe out: And I am here with You.
I think we all need this little 10-second break to take a breath and come into the awareness and presence of Emmanuel, [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 1:18–24
The Christmas countdown is on and the days left to get everything done are in the single digits. If you’re like me, you’re probably reading this as you wait in line at the store, maybe with your Amazon app open on your phone at the same time. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 11:2–11
Do you have doubts about who Jesus really is? You aren’t alone. The very people who rubbed shoulders with Jesus did, too.
But first, as we say in the television news business, the backstory. In this week’s gospel passage from Matthew, [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 3:1–12
On my daughter’s eighth birthday, we invited her entire class to our home for pizza and cake. As I blew up balloons and hung streamers, my husband’s contribution to getting the house “party ready” was deep cleaning the front hall closet just thirty minutes before our little guests arrived. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 23:35–43
My approach to the annual family Christmas card photo has changed. For around twenty-five years, I accomplished the heroic feat of corralling seven children and a reluctant husband into a delightful, color-coordinated pose in front of the camera. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 21:5–19
I have to have a difficult conversation. Not only that, I need to have this difficult conversation with someone that I’ve had a complicated history with. So, I’m doing what all good Catholic women do when faced with this situation. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 20:27–38
My children are smarter than I am. I thought you should know, in case you want to ask them anything. In our house, when a child turns thirteen, they suddenly know everything. Before they used to ask me questions because they didn’t know the answer—now they ask me questions because they think I don’t know the answer. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Luke 19:1–10
My only son fell out of a tree last summer, smashing into the concrete pool deck below and fracturing his arm in three places. My brother had tied a rope swing high up into the branches of that tree, [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Luke 18:9–14
Warning: embarrassing confession ahead.
I want priests to like me. I want them to recognize my excellent work, think I am holy, notice my attendance at Mass, and hear how saintly I am in the confessional. Why? A small faith and enormous pride hold my face down in the lie that past sins aren’t forgiven and salvation is the result of my good efforts. [...]
