I had come feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders; tired, burned out and stressed. Amidst the joys of the conference, I still found myself thinking about seemingly hopeless situations that had only seemed to become more hopeless. Yet in the stillness and quiet, tucked back in the trees with only the sound of the rain and occasional thunder, an incredible peace came over me…

I found myself meditating on that profound truth… in a discussion about board games… rule books of all things… for most of the remaining drive. What does this podcast about board games and rule books have to do with our faith?

It seemed to me as if everyone in the church must have had the same morning we did right from the start. I found myself distracted right from the start. Focused on all the wrong things, and critical, I half heartedly participated in the Mass… more as a spectator than anything else…

So… It’s Lent. Maybe you are like me. You know all the things that Lent is supposed to be. Generally, it’s not easy; or at least you know it isn’t supposed to be. You give something up; usually something that is a bit of a sacrifice. You try to add a good thing, or maybe two. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. All of the things meant to help you detach from those things that hinder your walk with the Lord, or prevent you from following him as closely as you should… But… Then you mess up; or at least if you are anything like me you do.

I remember writing in my journal about my heart and telling God I wanted to give him my heart. Don’t be fooled, though. This was not the kind of “give God your heart” that he actually asks for. But, I found that journal entry a while ago. I read it. And I felt sorry for the young college girl who wrote it…

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:32). Why me? Because Christ did not come for the righteous. He did not come for the people who have it all together. He did not come for those that have never sinned or never fall short. Jesus came to call SINNERS to repentance.

I felt God answer my question this weekend. “Why me?” He said…

In this world there is so much hurt, so many wounds. Yet, we are not alone in our suffering. So many share our same experiences. We know that Christ, the Divine Physician, is present wherever two or three are gathered in his name…

During Mass, I talked to the Lord about it: “Jesus, I feel so oddly seen during this Mass. Between Father’s prayer and David’s hug, I get that they appreciate me, but it’s a little extravagant.” In a way that only He could, the Lord answered my worry and called me back to focus on the Eucharistic prayer with a gentle reminder to my heart…

Prayer ultimately springs from a desire for relationship with God. We must be humble. We must be persistent. I have found the Rosary to be one of the greatest prayers in helping me in this way.

Andrew ran from the cross once. He was one of eleven disciples not present for Jesus’ Passion and death on the cross. For whatever reason, maybe fear, disappointment, sadness, or shame, Andrew was not at Calvary as Jesus died for him and for each of us. Andrew’s story of following the Lord began with “and he stayed with Him that day.” Yet on this most important day, Andrew was nowhere to be found.

“Finally, she asked about my relationship with Jesus. I was a little confused. I had already told her I go to Mass often, that I prayed pretty often, that I didn’t drink as much as my friends did. Then, she put so simply, what I knew I had been often missing or over complicating…”

Acknowledging how transformative learning about the realities of Heaven and Hell were, I found myself asking “Where is Hell?” NOT “Where is Hell” in terms of a physical location… but where is Hell in the Church?…

Theirs Would Be the Nobility of Humility

Two things have been on my mind lately: humility and castles.

How does humility relate to castles?

There was one day where we were out running errands. It was one of those days where we have only a couple hours and a lot of stops to make… and with kids unloading and re-loading… the stops take forever! Well, we passed this same local Catholic Church and she asked…

After communion, I knelt praying with my face in my hands asking God why I still felt so alone even though I was surrounded by other Christians. “I thought Your Church was supposed to be a family” I whimpered in prayer. After Mass…

It was during this time that I really began to pray… and It was then that I believe the Lord began to speak to my heart in that still small way that he does:

"I see a movement. I see a group of believers so..."

I held her in my arms and went over to sit in the pew; when asked what I needed prayers I said, “that I could be a good mom.”

Here I really saw how significant Christ, while bleeding out and dying on the Cross, giving us his Mother, truly is. Jesus said to his Mother, “Behold your son;” and to his beloved disciple, “Behold your Mother.” Scripture then affirms that from that day…