Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 16:21–27
**A gentle note before you begin: The story below touches on infertility and the deep longing for a child and may bring up difficult emotions. If you are carrying this particular cross right now, we invite you to read with care or step away if needed. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 15:21–28
This Sunday’s gospel has always baffled me. I recall my first time reading this passage about the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus for a miracle for her daughter, and Jesus essentially calls her a dog. I wondered if this woman caught Jesus at a tough moment: perhaps he had low blood sugar. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 14:22–33
One summer, during a family vacation at the beach, my brother-in-law took us out on his speedboat for a fun day on the water. I was at ease cruising the gentle waters of Mission Bay near my home in San Diego, [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 13:44–52
How many of us spend our days searching? Not just for that sock the dryer ate. Not like an Indiana Jones quest for the Holy Grail—though it can feel just as harrowing.
Sometimes, it's a tense scrutiny of our bank accounts, [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 11:25–30
Over the past week, I took two family members to urgent care and the ER. Spending my time there was not on my agenda, and while both visits were necessary, I have to admit I was more than a little annoyed at having my plans for both days disrupted. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 10:26–33
As a family, we have instituted Friday movie nights. Each week, a different child picks a movie for us to watch together. This week’s choice? One of our favorites: Inside Out 2.
As is often the case with Pixar movies, [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 6:51–58
This past weekend found me stress cleaning my house and chasing my 7-year-old around our church while her first Communion veil repeatedly slipped out of her hair. Caroline, our peaches and cream middle daughter, had the joy of receiving her first Communion with several of her closest friends and cousins. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 3:16–18
Currently, I am packing up our home for a long-distance move. After years of patiently waiting for my adult children to leave the nest, I’m surprised by how difficult it is to let go of things as we plan to downsize. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 28:16–20
I do. The words came easily at first, practiced, familiar.
It was Easter Vigil Mass, a most solemn, reverent liturgy. The Church was full, the light soft, the air fragrant with incense. As a community, we were invited to stand and renew our baptismal promises—to remember who we are and whose we are. [...]
Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 14:1–12
“Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). If only we truly received this invitation.
We recently took a big leap and transferred our kids—in the middle of the year—to a new school. This decision was born from a hard season of watching our kids struggle, [...]
