In my years of trying to grow in faith, and to help others to do the same, I have observed that we often run into barriers. Our faith in God’s love and mercy goes only so far and no further. These barriers to our faith come in many different forms. Sometimes our faith runs into the barrier of...
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As members of a society steeped in material realities, we often miss things that cannot be seen or touched. For western culture, the significance of the Holy Spirit of God can be diminished in comparison to the more concrete images of God as Father and as a human person in Jesus. Even though delvin...
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“The heavens are telling the glory of God” (Psalm 19:2). Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! I know my enthusiasm for snow is not shared by all; but as a northerner, raised in Northeastern Ohio, I love all that cold white stuff and all the many things that come along with this meteor...
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“Fraternal correction is not the outcome of irritation at another’s faults, or of offended pride or wounded vanity. Love is the only possible motive for fraternally correcting our neighbor.”–St. Jose Maria Escriva.            ...
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I have to admit … I’m a people watcher. I can observe so much about life from doing this in a spiritual way. Recently, I was sitting in church waiting for Mass to begin when I observed a couple a few pews in front of me.  It was clear that the man was affected by something that was...
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Many years ago, my family was on a flight to Disney World in Orlando.  I dislike flying and usually listen to music with my eyes closed to distract myself from the idea that I am only 39,000 feet away from a tragic ending.  On this particular flight, however, my three children served as a...
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“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).   The mystery of Christ is the second core concept listed in “Forming a People of Faith,”the lifelong-religio...
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“Long, long before tomorrow, though it was most certainly since yesterday, in a village tucked beneath the bountiful covers of a land simply called Sometime, there lived a potter by the name of Nicholas and his wife Christina….” This is the beginning of a story that became an Adve...
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In the book “A Child’s Garden: A story of Hope,” by Michael Foreman, the story is told of a little boy who lives in a world torn apart by war. One day, after a rain, he sees a little plant pushing its way through the soil. The young boy carefully tends the plant, and in time he re...
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My husband and I recently went to see a movie with our grandsons and their parents that was entitled “The Star.”  It was a form of the Nativity story, loosely adapted and told through the eyes of the animals, but still gave the real meaning of Christmas.  What stood out to me...
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