It’s so strange to think back to Ash Wednesday of last year. I went to Mass in the morning with my family, hurried off to ballet, came home for school, sang at ANOTHER Mass with my Schola Cantorum, then hurried off for more ballet rehearsal, my forehead covered with burnt palms. Who knew that aContinue reading “Your Lenten Playbook: 100 Ways to Holiness”
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My Friend, Aquinas
I wish that I loved St. Thomas Aquinas the way Dr. E does. My high school Great Books professor had us take a moment of silence after reading his poetry in our online class. The affection and profound gratitude she has for him was tangible in her voice coming over my computer’s speakers. As difficultContinue reading “My Friend, Aquinas”
Psalm 22: The Prayer of an Innocent at Planned Parenthood
Content Note: This post includes details of a D&E abortion procedure, which is the surgical abortion most commonly performed on a preborn baby between 13 and 24 weeks. It can be disturbing to read. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why so far from my call for help, from my infant criesContinue reading “Psalm 22: The Prayer of an Innocent at Planned Parenthood”
Becoming Sarah Smith
“Come and see.” It’s a verse that captivates all who hear it. With only three words, the melody of this young rabbi’s voice cuts through the air and into the heart of Andrew. He responds by bringing not only himself, but his brother, the future Pope, to Jesus. The child hidden in every soul yearnsContinue reading “Becoming Sarah Smith”
“There are Much Worse Games”
Happy December 40th, 2020… I was planning to write a nice meditation for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. But then I turned on my phone on Wednesday afternoon and, like all other writers across the country, realized that those plans would need to change. Fortunately for me, everything that could be saidContinue reading ““There are Much Worse Games””
And When Night Comes…
“And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the reasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with Him.Continue reading “And When Night Comes…”
18 Works to Read or Avoid at all Costs in 2021
Almost there, friends. We’re almost at the end of 2020. As excited as we all are for the new year, I haven’t heard much about plans for ringing in 2021 with enthusiasm. I was so excited for 2020 that I wore a flapper dress on New Year’s Eve. A freaking flapper dress. So much forContinue reading “18 Works to Read or Avoid at all Costs in 2021”
The Father’s Advent
My heart sunk as the door remained as rigid as ever. I was standing outside of University of Cincinnati’s Parish Newman Center where I had been told Confession was available. But the doors were locked and my brain was transported for a moment back to this past Spring when all churches were closed. I triedContinue reading “The Father’s Advent”
On Eponine and Advent
“To love another person is to see the face of God.” It’s perhaps the most famous line from the musical, Les Miserables, a production which is not only my favorite Broadway musical, but the last thing that I would see performed in a theater before the world shut down. What a gift it was toContinue reading “On Eponine and Advent”
The Legend of Simeon and the Longing of 2020
Long ago, several centuries before the “Gloria” of the angels pierced the Bethlehem sky, 72 scholars were asked to translate the books that would later be known as the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek. After years of scrupulous independent translation, the scholars gathered to share the fruit of their labors. It was here, accordingContinue reading “The Legend of Simeon and the Longing of 2020”
Living Full Throttle 