“Faith is an encounter with Jesus Christ, with God, from which faith is born, and from there it brings you to witness,” Pope Francis tweeted. That’s what happened to the Virgin Mary. Mary’s encounter with God’s messenger changed her life. The Holy Spirit overwhelmed her with such joy she could […]
Lepidoptera Blessings
The day after hurricane Irma, I marveled at a swallowtail butterfly gliding through my front yard; a graceful, welcome reprieve from the harsh winds of the day before. It was huge, soaring and totally unexpected. This isn’t the first time a butterfly has blessed my day. Happiness is as […]
Catholic Teen Books
Guilds with a small “g” serve as the organs of The Catholic Writers Guild. Small “g” guilds include critique groups, chapters, committees, conference gatherings, and other community-building entities. They encourage the vocation of writing among the member and sometimes, the members venture into parallel enterprises, for example, the organization known […]
Faith and Comfort
So, where is it you want to go? Where is it you expect your faith to take you in life?… .or maybe faith is an accouterment , something you coyly admit to when you’re at a party? Truth is, you really hope that people, especially strangers are impressed by your […]
Don’t Wanna Hear It!
I suppose that it is easy enough to look at the spiritual journey and get caught up in all of the details of how to get from point “U” (unworthy) to point “H” (Holy). In one form or another everyone understands that as the end game of living the […]
How I use blogging to prepare for media interviews
Last week Dave Palmer interviewed me for the Guadalupe Radio Network of 30 markets on How to Give Your Testimony During the Holidays. We had a lot of fun with the interview, and it was well received. Here is a link to my portion of the show, “Giving your Testimony […]
The Twelve Steps to being a Spiritual Writer
Step Five- Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Over the past few weeks, we have examined our failings and sins. The purpose has not been to feel badly about ourselves. It is to examine the habits, fears, and patterns that […]
Of Pencils and Love
Isn’t is a curiosity that the most astounding contemporary Saint of our time would choose an image that has nothing to do with who she was? Mother Theresa was in all ways a “doer”. She was the one in the field and getting her hands dirty in places where others […]
The Romance of Prayer
If any part of your life has been devoted to working on growing your spiritual walk, you should have some familiarity with the bible and its living wisdom. For Christians in general and Catholics in particular, it is simply pivotal to your faith. You might have chosen to be unfamiliar […]
Humility: Jesus, Grant Me The Grace To Desire It
Some years ago, at my morning prayer group, my cherished friend Deacon Larry brought copies of the Litany of Humility. I never had heard of that prayer until that day. The men in my group trust Larry implicitly, so we dove right into reciting the prayer. We read the first line […]