Holy Boldness, a Grace from the Holy Spirit
As I was contemplating making holy boldness the topic of this post, surfing TV channels took me to a preacher who was speaking on— guess what? holy boldness! Talk about affirmation. Perhaps someone (maybe me) needs to be encouraged to practice this virtue. Holy boldness is the courage to do something daring for God’s sake, […]
Words from our Blessed Mother Mary from My Devotional
I don’t know about you, but during these past weeks several of my friends have been undergoing severe trials: cancer, car accidents, death of loved ones. Such ordeals shake our faith and we wonder, Why do we suffer? and even, Is there a good God? At our chicken barbecue last month, during a random reading […]
A New Year Poem to Recall God’s in Charge
My present to you: An encouraging poem as we face this new year. Happy New Year! God Knows by Minnie Louise Hoskins And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into […]
Mary’s Holy Boldness
In this month of May devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is fitting that we reflect on her. I’d like to focus on one of the many ways that she is a model for all Christians: Mary had courage as she fulfilled her mission of bringing forth Christ into the world and furthering […]
Banishing Fear, Worry, Anxiety, Dread
Years ago when I had just moved in to begin a week-long retreat, a remarkable thing happened. A hot air balloon landed in the field across the way. We retreatants ran outside to watch, and a woman in the balloon called, “C’mon, Sisters! Who wants a ride?” I wanted to accept the extraordinary invitation, but […]
The Power of Peer Pressure
The other day at Mass a woman in the front pew stood at the wrong time. The two women next to her joined her. Soon everyone in the church was standing. I stood too, even though I knew it was a mistake! I could hear my mother’s words echoing in my head, “If everyone jumps […]
Perseverance and Determination
The world was awed last week when 64-year-old Diana Nyad swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida. What awed me was that this woman never gave up. This swim was her fifth attempt. A person with less gumption would have said after the fourth try, Why bother? or It’s impossible. Now Diana serves as a model in […]
Conquering Fear
Do you know that someone counted that “Do not fear” occurs 365 times in the Bible? That’s one for every day of the year. Yes, fear is good in that it sometimes protects us from tragedy. But sometimes fear can be a straitjacket. I can think of times in my life when I was afraid […]
Holy Boldness in the Face of Crosses
In my backyard there is a sapling that was planted directly under a chain-link fence probably by a squirrel. As it grew, the tree not only wove itself around the bars but swallowed them into itself. Nothing could inhibit the life force that impelled the tree upwards. You can see it in the photo. This […]
Why Fear?
“Do not be afraid” supposedly appears in the Bible 365 times. That’s one for each day of the year. There’s good reason for this. Recently one night a chandelier came crashing down in church—shades of the Phantom! Palm Sunday services had to be held in the gym. After a fellow worshiper pointed out that the […]
