Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent “So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.” John 11:54 Sometimes we can carry ourselves with dignity in the face of adversity, and sometimesContinueContinue reading “I’d rather hide….”
Category Archives: Lent
Smells Like Jesus
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 15, 2024 “Is he not the one they are trying to kill?…Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?” – John 7:25-26 Sometimes at Mass, there is a certain “aroma.” It is harsh, foul, and uncomfortable. And I can’t ignore it. The source? A homelessContinueContinue reading “Smells Like Jesus”
Made Visible
Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 10 2024 “… the works of God might be made visible through him.” – John 9:3 I have no idea what’s coming… or who… toddlers or teenagers, 5 kids or 35 kids. The amazing thing about Children’s Liturgy of the Word is that all children present at Mass are invitedContinueContinue reading “Made Visible”
I Thirst…
The wildflowers on the side of the road look cheerful and welcoming. The rolling green hills and lush foliage look like a picture-perfect postcard. I can’t enjoy the beauty; the scene fills me with dread. Soon they will become the dried up kindling of the summer wildfires. I live in an area of California constantlyContinueContinue reading “I Thirst…”
Capturing Joy
Second Sunday of Lent, February 25, 2024 Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”ContinueContinue reading “Capturing Joy”
Babbling Away…
Babbling Away… “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7 Are my words anything more than meaningless babble? Recent challenges have stirred a cloud of confusionContinueContinue reading “Babbling Away…”
When It Rains, It Pours
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” – Matthew 5:17-18 I surveyed theContinueContinue reading “When It Rains, It Pours”
Failing at Flossing… and Other Exercises in Humility
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent There are very few degrees of shame that surpass a parent at the pediatric dentist office. Of course we brush twice a day, flossing on the other hand…. I know they need more help but some mornings we barely make it out of the house with both shoesContinueContinue reading “Failing at Flossing… and Other Exercises in Humility”
Warts and All
Thursday in the First Week of Lent “On the day I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.” Psalm 138:3 “When I wake up in the morning, maybe God will have taken all my warts away.” My six-year-old Clare has had this same prayer for months. Every few days she repeats her hopeful plea,ContinueContinue reading “Warts and All”
Resisting Forgiveness
“I’m holding down the sand!” My daughter stamped down the shifting beach sand with all her might, trying to keep the waves from pulling it away. Her desperate attempts to contain the earth beneath her feet has become an image of my own desire for control. I struggle to analyze and understand, to force clarityContinueContinue reading “Resisting Forgiveness”
Jen Coito: Ignatius at Home 