Welcome back to “A Day in the Life of a Crazy Fool.” In Part 2, I ended with Quiet Time, which is usually over around 1pm, as the children begin sneaking upstairs to see what I’m doing. At this time a couple of things happen: Outdoor Recess and Afternoon School. As the four middle children […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34 2nd Reading Hebrews 5:7-9 Responsorial: Psalm 51:3-4, 12-15 Gospel: John 12:20-33 Experiencing God’s Mercy and Love, and Sharing it with Others Create a clean heart in me, O God. (Psalm Response) Today’s Responsorial Psalm portrays King David’s response to God after […]
Pain is powerful when it’s transformed by redemption, hope, faith, and God. It is the story that inspired the song, I Can Only Imagine the best-selling Christian single of all time, selling 2.5 million copies. The touching ballad which considers what heaven and meeting God will be like, is the only song ever to go […]
There’s a famous story in St. Augustine’s Confessions in which he and a group of youngsters looking for mischief steal pears, just for the thrill of the theft: We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this […]
Welcome back to a day in my life, which can be a bit crazy, being the mother of now 7 little children, all under the age of 12. In Part 1, I ended by mentioning Mid-Morning Prayer Time, which is where I’ll pick up today. 10am Mid-Morning Prayer At around 10am, when the children are […]
My husband is hard to shop for. He has simple tastes and knows what he likes. Over the years I have tried and tried to find the perfect gift he would really love and use. I’ve attempted to be clever, tapping into his interests, hoping to come up with something he would enjoy. I have […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23 2nd Reading Ephesians 2:4-10 Responsorial: Psalm 137:1-6 Gospel: John 3:14-21 Responding to God’s Gracious Gift of Salvation This is not from you; it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) Paul is emphatic: we have been saved by grace, not […]
There is a sacred space So nurturing and warm There is a sacred space Where Breath gave you your form Within this sacred space Your heart beat strong and true Within this sacred space You ate, and swam, and grew Within this sacred space You sensed, and listen’d, and learned Within this sacred space You […]
The Rev. Billy Graham had a simple message–give your life to Jesus. And that’s exactly what he did. He may have counseled presidents, he may have been the first religious leader to lie in state in the nation’s Capitol, he may have founded a media dynasty, but he always knew who he was. In many […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 Responsorial: Psalm 19:8-11 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 Gospel: John 2:13-25 Lent, A Time to Allow the Lord to Set Us Free from Sinful Habits I . . . brought you out of . . . that place of slavery. (Exodus 20:2) Despite […]
I might be a Crazy Fool. After all, I have 6 children under the age of 12, I’m a Catholic, I homeschool, and I’m pregnant. Goodness gracious! To most in our culture, I am a crazy fool. Why would I do such things? The short answer? Because my heart is full of love. The long […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18 Responsorial: Psalm 116:10, 15-19 2nd Reading: Romans 8:31-34 Gospel: Mark 9:2-10 Lent, An Opportunity for a Deeper Response to God’s Call Here I am! (Genesis 22:1) Abraham must have felt trapped. He had already given up so much to […]
In the past 45 years, an estimated 60 million innocent human beings have been killed in the United States with the consent of our government, and this crime against humanity continues to this day. I’m speaking of the number of human beings killed through abortion since Roe v. Wade was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on […]
Should sex offenders be castrated? Oklahoma legislators are considering a controversial bill to authorize chemical castration as condition of release for convicted sex offenders. Seven other states have similar legislation already in place, although reportedly, it’s used infrequently. Backers say the bill will dramatically reduce the incidence of sexual violence and end repeat offenses. It […]
Anyone want a good conscience-stinger for Lent? Recently I just reread Thomas Dubay’s Happy Are You Poor. And my conscience was stung. I have too much stuff, and my children have too much stuff. And this stuff gets in the way of knowing Jesus. And it’s time to clean house and make space for Him. Now as […]
Hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist threats, mass shootings – if you watch the news these days you could be tempted to go hide under the bed. These events bring on talk of the end times that we are warned about in the New Testament. The apostles expected Jesus to return at any moment, though He told them […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Genesis 9:8-15 2nd Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Responsorial: Psalm 25:4-9 Gospel: Mark 1:12-15 Experiencing God’s Forgiveness and Cleansing Power Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation It is . . . an appeal to God for a clear conscience. (1 Peter 3:21) While St. Peter is describing […]
Sober up, people! How are you going to prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? The 3 Pillars of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, & Almsgiving Prayer If you’re not already setting aside a specific time every day to pray, you need to. I am the mother of six little children. If I can do […]
Would go to the lion’s den for your faith? I’m guessing everyone has asked themselves this question. These days, in this country, we are more likely to go to court than the lion’s den. Standing up for our faith is having social and legal consequences, sometimes huge ones. For most of us, it’s about having […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 Responsorial: Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1 Gospel: Mark 1:40-45 The Importance of Doing Everything for the Glory of God Brothers and sisters, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory […]
When I was a kid attending Catholic school, if someone was caught with gum, or candy, a typical response from a teacher who was usually a Dominican nun, would be: “Do you have enough for everyone?” If we had been clever enough to prepare ahead of time, pulling out enough gum or candy for the […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7 Responsorial: Psalm 147:1-6 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 I have become all things to all. (1 Corinthians 9:22) Jesus once told his disciples that the road to heaven is narrow and sparsely populated (Matthew 7:14). But […]
What is February 2nd known for? In secular society, it’s ‘Groundhog’s Day.’ While there’s nothing wrong with remembering this little rodent and speculating on whether or not he’ll see his silhouette created by the sun, I’d invite us to go a little deeper. While the sun is a beautiful thing, and certainly necessary for life, […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Responsorial: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 Opening Our Hearts to Hear Jesus Speaking to Us A new teaching with authority . . . (Mark 1:27) You know when you see empty words. A celebrity issues […]
