What Is Grace? Three Truths That Help Us Understand God’s Favor
Shortly after being ordained a deacon, I was asked by my pastor to put together a presentation on the sacraments. Working my way through the…
Grace
What is Acedia? 6 Ways to Overcome Spiritual Sloth
In the silence of the confessional line, guilt weighed heavily on my conscience. Reflecting on what I was about to confess, I questioned, I knew…
Suffering From ‘Broken-Record Prayer Syndrome’? Here Are Three Ways to Renew Your Spiritual Life
I came up with the term “broken-record prayer syndrome” shortly after my husband and I began praying out loud together. The main symptom of this…
FORGING AHEAD
Last week my boyfriend and I dragged an unsuspecting coworker out for a fun-filled day of frolicking through what might be described by some as…
Grace Is Enough
My children — The Dude, The Princess, The Puppy, Reepicheep — and I travel down the highway on our way home from a playdate a…
BRIAN — DAY 7: Interruptions and Invitations
I am beginning to see a recurring theme in my Lenten meditations and reflections: interruption. Steve pounding on the door could be seen as an interruption.…
JILL — Introduction: Lenten Gratitude
I always struggle to find a Lenten offering. Sometimes I give up food/drink — adult beverages, chocolate, cheese, meat, sweets, and more. Sometimes I add…
Mumford, Macbeth and the Long Walk Home
I don’t pretend to know what “Roll Away Your Stone” is about. Mumford & Sons, the writers and performers of the song, apparently don’t know…
The Dark Night Rises: Public Shootings, Victims, and Prayers
May 20, 1988, a mentally ill women named Laurie Dann walked into Hubbard Woods Elementary School in Winnetka, Illinois, armed with three handguns and shot one boy in a washroom then entered my classroom. She opened fire on us, small children taking a test about bicycle safety. She killed one boy by the name of Nicholas Corwin and wounded four others before departing to a nearby home, shooting an adult who lived there, and then taking her own life. That day back in May 1988, everyone in Winnetka was a victim, everyone in the nation was a victim, and the country stopped for a moment of silence.
Saying Grace
Fr. Larry and Fr. Dave dicuss the centuries-old prayer that hungry Catholics sometimes rush through. A secret strategy priests use when asked to say grace…
