As a sister, I find that when it comes to sharing the Gospel with family and friends, I often feel like I’m either a lightning rod for religious discussions (friendly or hostile in tone) or I am ignored as irrelevant to everyday life. I suspect that any practicing Catholic whose family members “aren’t religious” goes through this as well. How do we share the joy of the unconditional love of God with all of these expectations swirling around us? There are two fundamental choices or attitudes ...

Zélie Martin sat upright in the chair of the doctor’s office on that never-to-be-forgotten day in October 1876. She waited patiently for his verdict. Without raising his eyes, the doctor cleared his throat and began writing out a prescription. He said, “Madame, what you have is a tumor.”“Please be direct with me, doctor. What is the use of the prescription?”“Really, no use at all,” admitted the doctor.“Will an operation help me?”“I’m afraid not, Madame. We have diagnosed you too late....

The Trinity can seem so far removed from us. As little children our teachers may have used the three leaves of a shamrock to help us understand, “one God in three Divine Persons.” The Trinity is a mystery, but that doesn’t mean that our awareness of the Trinity needs to stop with the shamrock. Even though we can't understand this mystery, it is highly “practical,” meaning it has a very profound effect on how we live our life. I’d like to share with you a few stories I have encountered rega...

I’ve noticed something about movie titles lately. So many of them contain the word dark. The Dark Knight Rises, Thor: The Dark World, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Dark Shadows, Zero Dark Thirty. Others might not use the word but their subject matter is dark: Divergent, The Hunger Games franchise, even the recent Noah film. As Christian moviegoers, how do we stay focused on the light?John’s Gospel says, “The light shines in darkness and the darkness did not overcome it” (Jn 1:5). All of our live...

May is a great time for thinking about decisions and futures. We celebrate ordinations, graduations, weddings…. We honor what has been achieved in people’s lives or our own, and we turn our eyes toward the next stage of our journey in life, whatever it may be.It is a wonderful blessing to us all that in the month of May we reflect on Mary, a woman who had to make a very important decision when she was probably just in her teenage years. She shows us the courageous spirit that makes decision-ma...

A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by God to give grace. That’s the definition I memorized as a little girl. As a child I knew of seven sacraments of the Church. As I matured I learned that you and I could be “sacraments” to others in as much as we allow Jesus to work in and through us. The more we empty ourselves of our self, the more we allow Jesus to work in us. This coming out of ourselves or self-emptying allows us to be signs of God’s love and presence to those around us. I want...