“If you build it, he will come,” a disembodied voice speaks to the Iowa farmer that plays the main character in the movie Field of Dreams (1989). This phrase became an often-repeated motto (though transformed to “they will come”) by…
I was sitting in the hospital room with my infant son in my arms, not believing what I was hearing from the pediatrician. My little boy had a serious heart defect. We would have to stay in the hospital for…
I recently finished reading St. Thérèse’s book The Story of a Soul for the second time, and I was once again struck by the very simple yet inspiring writing of this young woman. She doesn’t write like a learned theologian.…
The feast of St. Monica and St. Augustine may be one of the most relatable mother‑and‑son stories in Christian history. Monica was a devoted Christian mother known for her patience, perseverance and legendary life of prayer. Augustine, her son, was…
All three Synoptic Gospels tell us of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–13, Luke 9:28–36). Jesus is on the Mount of Olives with his friends. They witness him start to glow with beams of light. Moses (the giver of the Law)…
We celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola on July 31. This soldier-turned-saint has had a profound influence on the Catholic Church since his death in 1556, during the Catholic response to the Reformation, through his founding of the…
“Will you have a Martha or a Mary Christmas?” This was the title of an article I wrote a few years ago about two of the siblings we remember on this day. In the article, I was questioning all the…
We live in a world of information overload. Data flies at us from every direction at an exponential rate. At Christmas dinner, when Uncle You-Know-Who makes a statement, Auntie I-Have-a-Smart-Phone can correct his mistakes with confidence and launch a quick…
“Compare and contrast.…” Recalling essay assignments and exam questions from our student days, we might remember these words. The process of comparing and contrasting two different persons, events or circumstances invited us to think, to reflect and often to draw…
As a convert to Catholicism, I first found the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus off-putting. It felt grisly and even tacky. It took years for this devotion to become beloved. My curiosity led me to explore the origins…