Friday, February 26, 2010

I pray, you pray, we all pray: "Our" Father!

My latest on Catholic Exchange's women's channel, Today's Catholic Woman.  Here's an excerpt:

Jesus, a masterful rabbi at the time of the Sermon, knowing fully the depth and breadth of the ancient Scriptures, succinctly conveys all their wisdom within a simple and powerful prayer that even a small child can learn.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Among Women Podcast #46

Among Women #46 looks at the life of the soul according to St. Teresa of Avila in Interior Castle. And guest, Eileen Wood, a certified instructor of the Billings Ovulation Method of natural family planning describes the beauty of love and fertility in the life of married couples.

This makes me think...

If we look to Mary in all circumstances, we will immediately receive wise inspirations:  Be patient, kind, charitable; comport yourself well, suffer voluntarily, and offer your pains to the Lord. Hope and love always and give your life authentic Christian meaning.


---Pope Paul VI, as found in Mary, Day By Day.

Friday, February 19, 2010

What Does it Mean to Believe?

Hmmm.... its more than a list of pious practices.  Check out my latest article in an on-going series over at Faith and Family.

The Temptations are not just a singing group...

They are real experiences of the draw of evil and our struggle against it. But what's more, we have a savior in Jesus Christ who knows all about temptation. Jesus had a human life with a human body, just like us, and he "gets it" when it comes to temptation. Not only that... he shows us a way out of it.

This Sunday's gospel will present Jesus' face to face confrontation with the devil.  And what we learn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church is that his encounter with temptation is significant because it recapitulates the scenario in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve fell, and it reprises the scene in the desert centuries earlier when the Israelites rejected God and worshiped a statue of a golden calf instead.

For more, check out my latest article on Today's Catholic Woman.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Among Women Podcast #45

This week's Among Women kicks off the Lenten season with a look at the Eucharist through the eyes of St. Gemma Galgani, a young Italian saint who was both a laywoman and a stigmatist.  Plus Pat chats with Corrie Norris, wife, mother, and grandmother, about her life story of conversion from Calvinism to Catholicism, and the role the Eucharist has played in her life.

Ash Wednesday: Prayer offerings

Besides all the normal encouragements you are likely to receive today to attend Mass, to fast, to pray, and to give alms, I thought I'd share a few gems from the saints as we begin the Lenten journey.

A recent article of mine advocated this prayer from St. Nicholas Flue, a 15th century patron of Switzerland:

My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.
My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you.
My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.

- St. Nicolas Flue

And I have long prayed the following prayer from St. Anselm, a 12th century Doctor of the Church from Canterbury, England. This reminds us that God is never finished with us, and that we can be remade anew as we travel through Lent.
O Lord my God,
teach my heart this day where and how to see you,
where and how to find you.

You have made me and remade me,
and you have bestowed on me
all the good things I possess,
and still I do not know you.
I have not yet done that
for which I was made.

Teach me to seek you,
for I cannot seek you
unless you teach me,
or find you
unless you show yourself to me.  

Let me seek you in my desire.
Let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you,
Let me love you when I find you.
- St Anselm 


Amen and amen.


Image credit.

Monday, February 15, 2010

The Fire Tender

My latest on CatholicMom.com talks about one of my favorite winter places... hanging out in front of the fire in our family room.  There's a bit more on that subject.  Here's a snippet:
Last week I tended a fire amidst yet another New England snowfall. The simple act of fire tending caught me by surprise. There, as I knelt on the step of the open hearth, surprisingly, it felt to be about the height of a church kneeler. A simply thought occurred to me… what if I treated my prayer life with the respect I tended the fireplace? There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
Read the whole thing here.

image credit

Oh, to be thankful for the gift of Lent...

My latest over at Today's Catholic Woman.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

In honor of Valentine's Day

This video asks the question: What have you done for your marriage today?

Get support for your marriage at For Your Marriage.

For singles ministries, try Road to Cana, and Catholic Match.com, and the Theology of the Body website that promotes the National Singles Conference, coming up Feb. 19-21 in San Antonio, TX.

And finally, here's a hilarious-but-true video about the differences between the brains of men and women, from Christian pastor and marriage expert, Mark Gungor.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

More on the new feminism



This video is an interesting post-script to the most recent conversation we had on Among Women 44, and a few months back on AW 31 and AW 32.

HT: Lisa Hendey, Faith and Family Live.com

Among Women Podcast #44

This week's Among Women focuses on the genius of womanhood -- not only as we are created by God, but also as explained in the title of a new book by Karen Doyle, The Genius of Womanhood.

And we also hear a story about the faith of St. Scholastica, the sister of St. Benedict of Nursia.

Also get early details about the forthcoming Catholic New Media Celebration to take place in Boston, Aug 6-8:  CNMC "MMX".

Monday, February 8, 2010

Dominican Sisters to be on Oprah Tuesday


The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist are sharing their life on Oprah tomorrow.

Pray for them! And may it be a blessing for the world to see! (That's Lisa Ling from Oprah's show in the picture with them.)




Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Media Convergence: The Most Dynamic Argument for Using the Internet for the New Evangelization



If you have the faith, live the faith, or teach the faith.... (and you know who you are!)... get busy and communicate it!

HT: Through Many Witnesses

Friday, February 5, 2010

DivorcedCatholic.Com presents Conference Feb 27-28 in Atlanta


Get all the details here!.

Today's installment of Embracing the Catechism...


discusses how the Church is Apostolic and built on the foundation of the Apostles, as illustrated by the fact that St. Peter's Basilica is built over the tomb of Peter. It begs the question: just what is being "built" on the faith witness of our lives?

Read the entire article here.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Got 5 minutes? Faith and Family has my on-going series on the Catechism...

Read the article here.

Here's a snippet:

More magnificent than an engraved invitation to have tea with the Queen of England ...
Greater than a free coupon to ride the NASA space shuttle ...
And more sublime than a personal call from Benedict XVI inviting you to a private audience in the Apostolic Palace …
This invitation to meet God, and to be received into his company and friendship, requests the favor of a personal reply...

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Catholic Singles: National conference just for you Feb 19-21!


Great speakers and a great weekend of celebration!
Get info here:

Among Women Podcast #43

This week on Among Women, we explore the writings of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, a Christian mystic, while talking about our own need for relationship with each Person of the Blessed Trinity.

Listen to the joyous "reversion" story of Lisa Mladnich, the founder of a new website, AmazingCatechists.com.

Join us for a look at the women of holy influence in our lives, and the remarkable call we have to know God and serve God's people as amazing catechists.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Hope comes in a variety of forms...



Today it came in the voice of a young woman in this video.

HT: Bonita at Encouraging Words for Writers

Monday, February 1, 2010

The new Roman Missal (click & learn about the coming changes):

Watch Catholic TV here! Find Women's programs: "WINGs" and "Woman at the Heart of the Church"

A Lovely Reminder for Every Day

Coffee drinkers! Support AW by drinking Mystic Monk Coffee!

Ship a Cake, and Share a Blessing