Love Thy Neighbor
Posted on May 5, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Ty Salvant
How well do you love your neighbor? Are you willing to miss an important event for the good of others?
For the past 8 years, our family has been enjoying Endymion with a friend who lives near the parade route. If you haven’t experienced a parade from that vantage point, it should be on your bucket list. Read More
What’s the Big Deal?
Posted on May 3, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Casey Sprehe
There is a tendency, at times, in the spiritual life to overlook venial sins. As one decidedly on the Christian journey, I can think, well I’m not killing anyone. Really? Is that my standard?
With a bare minimum approach to morality, I can expect only to bear minimal fruit. Minimal fruit is like out of season fruit-lacking the fullness of how God created it to taste. Read More
Stop Thinking You Can Control Everything
Posted on April 30, 2020 1 Comment
By Gaby Smith
I like to take control. I like to make sure everything around me is rightfully in its place, but when it came to Easter this year, I lost it. I saw pictures of people on social media posting with their grandparents. I was shocked. I would do anything to spend Easter with my 93-year-old grandfather. I was jealous but upset.
Have we not been seeing the stay-at-home mandate on the news? Have we not been seeing the most vulnerable population needs to be kept safe?
After pitching a small fit to myself, I realized I couldn’t control that person. I couldn’t control their actions. I could only control myself. Read More
Lenten Reflection: Hunger & Thirst
Posted on April 28, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Charla Spalluto Misse
I am surely not alone in feeling that this Lent has been especially poignant and sorrowful. I remember when I first heard that the Blood of Christ would no longer be passed at Holy Mass and that the St. Joseph’s Altars were being closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. That was the first pang of realization for me that our ability to practice our faith as Catholics was being threatened.
In the past, I may have given up earthly pleasures for Lent and gladly made such a relatively minor sacrifice in comparison to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. In recent years, instead of abstinence, I may have given increased alms and committed myself to a new spiritual devotion for the season. Again, these are sacrifices that I gladly made and found greater spiritual insight or blessings. Read More
Worry Ends Where Faith Begins
Posted on April 26, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Kristy Solis
In this ever-changing world as we journey through this pandemic, it is important to reflect, to have faith and to keep moving forward. It is normal to feel scared, anxious, angry, sad or all these emotions at one time. You just do not want to live there.
Worry ends where faith begins. Think about what the story will be that you will tell one day or the story someone else will tell you about this milestone in your life?
For me and my family, the university that I work for decided to close and move forward with on-line instruction. We were one of the first. One major technicality is I teach nursing; therefore, these students are required to participate in clinical hours in the hospital setting. Read More
Happy April Birthday
Posted on April 23, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Kim Roberts
So, here we are smack in the middle of the new normal, making all the adjustments necessary to keep our families safe. Where as most days social distancing is easy enough to accomplish, it took a bit of getting used to. But, in reality, it is not really that hard to put into practice.
It’s not the day-to-day activities that are overly difficult; it’s the milestones and special occasions that are now out of our hands. Yet, we have to find a way to salvage them. Read More
A Quarantined Easter
Posted on April 21, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Sarah McDonald
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think we would find ourselves here: ordered to “stay-at-home” through April, missing out on the celebration of the Sacred Triduum and Easter in our church parishes and unable to celebrate the great high feast with extended friends and family.
This may go down in history as one of the most difficult Easters ever celebrated.
For us, these last weeks of Lent became filled with prayer, and not only as I implored my five children to wash their hands for the entire 20-seconds by praying an “Our Father.” Read More
Distance learning (and loving)
Posted on April 19, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Stacy LaMorte
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, school closures and now even church closures, we are entering unprecedented territory for our families. Since these announcements started several Fridays ago with my own school closure as well as the closures of my children’s schools, I can’t help but look on the bright side. Read More
Made for Greatness
Posted on April 16, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Megan Lacourrege
When I learned about purgatory as a child, I had thought, “I guess that’s where I’m going.”
I didn’t believe I could personally go straight to heaven, so I thought it best to aim for purgatory. At least it’s not hell, and I’ll go to heaven eventually, right?
As I got older, I realized that saints – the people who did go straight to heaven – were very real and very human. They were sinners who decided that they didn’t want to sin anymore. They desired God and charity above all else. Read More
The Day the Churches Closed
Posted on April 14, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Ana Borden
I disconnected from the stress of news and calls during the beginning of the corona pandemic by gardening in our yard. My thoughts were with my sister and brother-in-law while they were in the trenches saving those affected at their hospitals, until my husband shared the news that public masses were suspended in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Read More
Lasting Impact
Posted on April 12, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Ty Salvant
Our thoughts, words and actions hurt or help those around us, whether or not we are in close relationship with them.
One day when running errands, I had extra time on my hands and had an amazing experience. I passed up a close parking spot so the car behind me could get it. When in the store, a customer asked me a question, which led to a 15-minute conversation with a stranger. I complimented a stranger at the gas station, who was genuinely appreciative of being noticed, which made us both feel great. Read More
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