SND BLOGS

Catholic Faith Corner

Living in the Light
of Jesus Christ

Sea of Galilee at Sunrise

Catholic Faith Corner

Living in the Light
of Jesus Christ

Wisdom from the Saints, Our Friends in a High Place

In honor of the Feast of All Saints (the day after Hallowed Eve), I’m offering eighteen of their words of wisdom. The saints are our heroes. They lived life successfully and show us how to do it. One of my favorite lines comes from St. Turibius, archbishop of Lima, Peru: “Christ called himself the truth […]

Supernatural Messages from Beyond

Every once in a while, something happens that can’t be explained. In some cases we receive a message concerning a dearly departed one. Here are a few of them that I know about: One day when I visited Sister Mary Agera, an eighty-something Sister in our Health Care, she told me this story. As a […]

Joy, a Gift from God

One of my most precious memories is pushing my four-year-old nephew in a wheelbarrow on a farm. He was laughing hysterically and this made me laugh. Life is full of joyful moments like that one. Reflecting on them warms the heart. We feel joy when someone does us a favor, when we accomplish a difficult […]

Looking Forward to a Heavenly Home

            I’m in the throes of moving from a large house to an apartment in Notre Dame Village in Chardon. This means reducing what now fills two floors, an attic, and a basement so that my personal belongings, furniture, and office will fit into four and a half rooms. Maybe you’ve had this experience. If […]

(Holy) Poor Souls and Saints: The Next World

The day after I flew home from a conference in Chicago, I googled my name. (That sometimes proves interesting.) That night a shocking notice appeared—an obituary for Kathleen Glavich! Did our plane go down? Am I in twilight zone? Am I dreaming? I didn’t feel dead. I clicked on the notice and it took me […]

What Is After Death? Heaven? Hell? Oblivion?

Currently I’m working on a chapter about the afterlife. We people engrossed in the demands of this present life don’t tend to think about this topic until we come to a landmark birthday, someone we know dies, or a movie like The Mummy is released.  Then we wonder, Is this all there is? We Catholics […]

To Be or Not to Be . . . a Saint

This past week I was interviewed about saints for a podcast, so I thought I’d share some thoughts about them this week. I believe it was Leon Bloy who noted, “The only failure in life is not to be a saint.” A saint is someone who made it to heaven. Consider the alternative. Sometimes people […]

Death, Be Not Proud!

As we approach Holy Week, I though it would be good to reprise an earlier post with a few additions . . . My theology class at Cleveland Central Catholic was on the fifth floor of St. Michael School. One topic was death and dying. As one student entered the room, he commented, “Sister, do […]

What’s Heaven Like?

My Aunt Arline was born with cerebral palsy. A good Lutheran couple adopted her. Operations to straighten her arms left long scars on her. Her speech was slurred, and she walked with difficulty. Sometimes her slight body was marked with ugly bruises from falls. Nevertheless she was a delightful person, married to my father’s brother, […]

Squeezing through the Narrow Gate

Most people assume that they will spend eternity in heaven. Some of them might be like the Pharisee who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers. . . . I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” This man thought he was right […]