Learning Acceptance
Posted on October 13, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Kristen Bourgeois
Acceptance. It has been a hard skill to learn. Growing up in an alcoholic home, we learn to accept unacceptable behavior, we focus our energy on trying to change the things we cannot change, and we are either unaware or lack the skills to identify things that are actually in our control.
This is why the serenity prayer is always so helpful. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This prayer puts things back into perspective. Read More
Why Not ART?
Posted on October 11, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Mary Bruno
Artificial Reproductive Technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization
(IVF) and Intrauterine insemination (IUI) are (strangely) one of my favorite things to talk about. Most people don’t plan on being infertile, so when it hits, it can be devastating.
A common reaction to this jarring life circumstance is to turn towards IUI and/or IVF because most are unaware of any worthwhile alternatives. Read More
Wake of Positivity
Posted on October 8, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Stacy LaMorte
I have always loved being on and around water; it is a form of rejuvenation for me. With the beautiful weather we have been having, we have been spending a lot of time boating as a family. I love sitting at the back of the boat and watching the wake that is made from the outboard motor. It is so steady, constant and reliably unchanging. It affects the water around it in a major way, causing churning and waves that continue even long after the boat has passed. Read More
I Miss Their Smiles
Posted on October 6, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Sarah McDonald
Many things have changed over the past few months, but perhaps the most visible change is that of people wearing masks in public.
My husband recounted a story to me of taking our 2-year-old “Happy Face” to the pediatrician’s office only to have her try to pull his mask off the entire time. She even made faces at him in an effort to get him to smile at her. Read More
“Unless You Become Like Little Children”
Posted on October 4, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Megan Lacourrege
As a parent, much of my job is to teach my kids, but I love the moments when my kids teach me. It’s awe-inspiring, to be sure.
I often have reflected on Jesus’s words from Matthew’s Gospel: “Unless you become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” What better example is there to learn how to be like a little child than your own children? Read More
A Sacramental Oasis
Posted on October 1, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Jenny Dendinger
Blessing ourselves with holy water might appear to be a simple act, but its absence in our lives these last few months has been painfully noticeable for my family.
Before COVID-19, the only time the holy water was missing from the font was during the Triduum. I’ve also heard that some churches remove it for the entirety of Lent, but thankfully, my parish has never adopted this practice. Read More
Christ’s Salvation
Posted on September 29, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Greg Zambrano
Some time ago, I was going through a stressful moment – the very common stresses of 2020: COVID 19, hurricanes, kids not behaving, people out of work, watching the news and seeing all the protest/destruction of our USA cities, health issues, too much going on.
To take my mind off of the worries, I took two blessed candles out of storage. I placed them in the center of a table in candle holders and prayed a rosary. Read More
Kindness
Posted on September 27, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Sarah McDonald
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
– Mother Teresa of Kolkata
Very recently, I found myself in the familiar position of mediating a fight between two of my boys. Their tempers were flaring as they started raising their voices towards me as each tried to explain their side to me loudest and first – because, obviously, that would determine whose side I would choose, right? Read More
Do Clothes Make the Mass?
Posted on September 24, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Kim Roberts
Being a woman of a particular age, I recall attending Mass every Sunday with my family dressed in “church clothes.”
My sister and I almost always wore dresses or skirts, my brother always wore dress trousers with tucked in button-down shirts, and we all wore dress shoes.
We never questioned it; we knew that we were expected to dress properly for church – without question. It was a sign of respect. Read More
Take Care of Creation Responsibly
Posted on September 22, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Stacy LaMorte
Our Holy Father has asked us in the month of September to responsibly use our resources that God has given us. He is not only asking us to pray for this change, but to model it as well.
It is hard to know the right things to focus on: composting, rain barrels for watering our lawns, recycling, reusing items, not polluting our water systems with contaminants, etc. There is so much to be done that it can be paralyzing, causing us to feel like none of our actions will change anything globally. Read More
The Wedding Feast at Cana
Posted on September 20, 2020 Leave a Comment
By Charla Spalluto Misse
Do you remember the readings chosen for your wedding? I always remember one reading, in particular, a reading that my husband and I chose together and that I always enjoy hearing, “The Wedding Feast at Cana.”
I am always heartened to imagine our loving Mother Mary beseeching Jesus to save the newlywed couple from embarrassment, interceding on their behalf. It reminds me that she is always watching with a compassionate heart. Read More
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