May is in full swing, and with it comes MANY invitations. Invitations to high school and college graduations, weddings, end of school year parties, Alumni or work-related BBQs, Volunteer appreciation dinners, etc. It can be rather overwhelming! But I recently was reading an article that was talking about the different metaphors to use to describe life, and one that was proposed was that life is a meal. See life as a meal. A fantastic, cozy meal. With good friends, family, loved ones – fascinating company. With great, delicious food. –Maartin van Doorn Although van Doorn was discussing a different way […]
life
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Happy Monday of the 2nd week of Easter! Had a full and busy few weekend that was bookended by two of the most anticipated pop culture events in the last decade as I went and saw Avengers: End Game… …and then watched the living battle the Night King and his army of the dead in the Battle of Winterfell in the final season of the Game of Thrones. So as to not give away any spoilers for those of you who may not have seen one or the other, let me simply share that in both of these stories, all […]
The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent is always the story of Jesus going out into the desert for 40 days and being tempted by Satan. Saint John Chrysostom tells us that Jesus never said, or did, anything that was not for our instruction, and the temptations in the desert are no exception. Because in the wilderness, Jesus experiences the very temptations that each one of us faces each and every day–the temptation to make idols out of pleasure, honor, or power. So why did Jesus go into the desert and allow Himself to be tempted? So that we, […]
Was reading an article today entitled “The Evolution of Anxiety: Why We Worry and What to Do About It.” by James Clear, author of the book, Atomic Habits. Why am I highlighting an article concerned primarily with behavioral psychology and stress management? Because yesterday marked the beginning of the season of Lent for most of the Christian world. (I say most because my fellow Orthodox do not begin Lent for another week. But I digress…) So what does Lent have to do with stress? Well, the image above might give you a clue. Lent is FULL of things that we […]
Merry Christmas! (And yes, it is STILL Christmas!) I hope this finds you still rejoicing in the great gift of Him who humbled Himself to become like us as a babe in the manger at Bethlehem! My post today is an outgrowth of my spiritual mentorship ministry work, and the great need that I have seen for people to come to know and understand and embrace that the reality that God loves us so deeply, passionately and profoundly, that He desires nothing more than to love us, and to that end, He invites us to enter into life with, in […]
Today was spent in quiet reflection as I prepared to make my promises to become a member of the AVI (Apostles of Interior Life) Family. In the midst of quiet time in Adoration with Jesus, all of us who were gathered together were encouraged to reflect upon not only the promises that we would be making, but even more so, to reflect upon what does it mean to be family? One of the AVI Family members shared some wisdom given by Dr Greg and Lisa Popcak, national speakers on issues of marriage and family, in which the Popcaks suggest that […]
As we are now drawing super close to Christmas, the world has us in an absolute frenzy of preparations and “checking lists twice.” For those of us for whom Jesus is the reason for this season, it can be extremely disconcerting to traverse through these final days as all the focus seems to be on everything and anything but Jesus. So how do we wrench our focus off all the “to-dos” and allow ourselves to focus on Him? By doing what Jesus told us to do and become like little children. How? By acting like a child. 1. Look with childlike wonder. How often is it that we actually […]
Before the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII said that it was time to “open the windows [of the Church] and let in some fresh air.” In the last 55 years since Vatican II, there have been many theories proposed about what the now Saint Pope John XXIII meant by his comment, but as the Catholic Church continues to struggle to to effectively evangelize people, especially young adults, in this post modern world, one thing is abundantly clear, some more “fresh air” is desperately needed if people are to come to know and experience what it means to belong and […]
So, I went and saw the latest movie installment of the Fantastic Beasts series: Crimes of Grindelwald, AND then I proceeded to also devour the screenplay. Once again, Jo Rowling has conjured up a brilliant and satisfying tale that will be enjoyed by fans both new to the Wizarding World along with bona fide Potterheads. Crimes of Grindelwald is a fast paced story that contains plenty of revelations, but it still leaves you wanting more, so although there’s another 2 year wait for Fantastic Beasts #3, I think it’ll be well worth it if the next ride is as magical […]
I absolutely ADORE the end of October and the month of November. Probably not for the reasons that you might expect though, as my reasons have not much to do with the usual ghosts or goblins or spooky graveyards, but everything to do with the Communion of Saints. What is the Communion of Saints, you ask? Well, simplest explanation is that it’s everybody–the best, the better and the trying to be holy men and women. The best are the Saints. These are people who are in union with God and have allowed their love for God and God’s love for […]