Catholic Writers- How To Avoid Being Dead Right

Decades ago, I read an insight by Jean Vanier, a Canadian Catholic philosopher and theologian, “You can be right. You can be dead right and bring death to everyone around you”.  These words stripped bare my arrogance, profoundly affecting the way I expressed my faith to others and especially the way I wrote about the Catholic……

Palm Sunday: God is in Charge

The Gospel reading for Palm Sunday is riveting  (Matthew 26:14—27:66); it moves us through a gamut of emotions as we picture crowds adoring Christ as He enters Jerusalem, witness the Last Supper, watch Judas betray his friend, Peter deny his Lord, the trials, the crowds now roaring for Jesus’s death, and the agony of the……

Looking Death In The Eye

Exactly six years ago, I finally became cognizant of how thin the line between life and death really is when I nearly lost one of my daughters as she struggled to give birth. During labour, she almost bled out when she lost a litre of blood in mere seconds after an emergency C-section, the result……

The Negative Reactions to Pope Francis

Every time Pope Francis speaks, the papers are filled with sensational headlines; he does not emphasize many of the popular, hot issues like abortion and homosexuality, issues which often simply serve to divide voters into an us and them mentality. When did these issues become the only issue that concerns the Church? Yet when the……

I Live With Mysteries

i live with mysteries now, content because… i am small finite, living in linear time on a flat plane of existence. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?  Romans 11:34 i wear dark coloured glasses with blinders while. peering at the world as if i were the centre……

Trusting and Resting in the Tradition of the Church

As a young university student who was looking into the Catholic Church, I was confused because I had been taught to believe God’s revelations were confined to the Bible. I was surprised to learn the Bible itself urges us to follow oral traditions: So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you……

A Knight in Shining Armour

Do you find yourself waiting secretly for your knight in shining armour to whisk you off your feet so you can live happily ever after? Or for a wonderful woman to lift off your depression and sense of aimlessness? Although we laugh at such ridiculous fantasies as the stuff of naïve, lovesick teenagers, we all……

Pope Francis: A Canary in a Coal Mine

Pope Francis is like a canary in the coal mine, identifying toxic trends in our society, then, offering hope as he suggests Christian solutions to family issues. The expression “a canary in the coal mine” refers to caged canaries miners would bring with them into mine tunnels. These birds were used in Britain right up until……

Jesus is a Baby Whisperer

The best way to communicate with preverbal little people is to connect with their inner spirits, in with, and through God, because Jesus was an infant. Only I do not think He ever forgot what it was like to be a preverbal little being. When we approach babies in the presence of the Holy Spirit,……

Patron Saint of Missing Socks, Pray For Us

As a mother of a large family, struggling to wash, dry, and fold three or four loads of laundry every day, I secretly wondered if there was an obscure saint, with little to do, who could fill in as my patron saint of missing socks. Little did I know, God was using the dilemma of……

Boredom is the Birthplace of Creativity

For centuries, children around the world have flopped down on the grass to watch an ant or stare up at the clouds. This is not a waste of time when we consider the fact that God also needs space and time and silence to speak into our children’s lives. If we keep them in a……

Our Biggest Delusion is Rooted in Our Ego

I am living in a fantastical delusion when I see myself as the centre of the universe, viewing everything as it circles around me. As believers, we sing and recite prayers that proclaim that God is the centre of all but our psychological make-up screams the exact opposite. I view people, events, history and yes……

Everyday Heroes

Everyday Heroes, written by the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, David Naglieri, is a welcome antidote to the barrage of bad news which assaults us all day long. This documentary balances the prevailing dark view of humanity by focusing on the lives of fourteen ordinary men whose deep faith in God motivates them to love and serve selflessly.……

The Irreplaceable Role of a Grandmother

How beautiful is the encouragement an elderly person manages to pass on to a young person who is seeking the meaning of faith and of life! It is truly the mission of grandparents, the vocation of the elderly. The words of grandparents have special value for the young. And the young know it. (Pope Francis)……

Keep It Simple

Jesus, the Son of God, kept things simple by explaining complex spiritual truths in parables and stories which even illiterate fishermen and children could understand. The Almighty spoke and interacted with people on their level. People with a worldly mindset often thought Jesus spoke in riddles but those whose hearts and spirits were open understood the gist.……

Living The Gospel of Easter

Have you ever checked out Catholic Pinterest sites? I help edit the Catholic Pinterest Board, Awestruck, while the South African owner, “Äna” sleeps. I was shocked at first when I noticed most Catholic pinners are so focused on Christ’s suffering, they post images of the Crucifixion all through the Easter season, right past Pentecost without pausing……

Christ’s Resurrection Triumphs Over Evil

“We proclaim the resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence, and we are able to share it with others” (Pope Francis). Today’s Gospel: John 20:1-9 – Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord As I read the Easter Sunday Gospel, it amazes me that Mary Magdalen and the others who went……

Living in Joy No Matter What

No matter what our circumstances are, when our eyes are fixed on our Lord, we can live in joy. This is the normal Christian life, not for a few select saints. Jesus expects Christians to walk on water with Him, daily, no matter how much we would rather sink into hopelessness beneath the storms which threaten……

Unresolved Grief and Mental Illness

The emotional and mental state of mothers affects children, even if they try to be upbeat and cheerful in their outer demeanour. Our kids can sense undercurrents of depression or anxiety because they are more intuitive and sensitive than adults. Mothers can’t fool their little ones because they “pick up vibes”. The topic of how……

Am I Weak Enough to Be a Christian?

A good yardstick for assessing our success as living as a faithful Catholic is not to wonder how holy we are but how weak we are. A good question to pose would be if I have experienced confusion and doubt. Have I been broken and lived through depression and anxiety? Have I tasted failure and defeat? Do……