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……

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……

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……

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……

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……

Trying to Look at Christ Before I Sink

No matter what our circumstances are, when our eyes are fixed on our Lord, anything and everything is possible.

But How Do I Change?

I was an utter failure in my self-prescribed role as a personal saviour. The truth is, Christians can change their outer actions through spiritual discipline but they cannot transform their inner spirits so they can say with St. Paul, “No longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.”  Jesus had to die and rise……

Convert and Become Like Little Children

Even in simple cultures, an independent adult faces a long spiritual journey before they can live in the heart of God as a child.  In our current milieu, Catholics are preoccupied with many pressing issues, so preoccupied we often overlook some of the most basic facts of how to live in the Spirit: “Let the little children alone,……

Are Women Basically Mothers at Heart?

Women today are confused about who they are called to be. If we feel called to be full-time mothers, society seems to dismiss us as vintage models, out of step with the modern feminist agenda. I know I often felt embarrassed because I did not have a real job as I mothered nine kids. Edith Stein (St.……

A Feminine Style of Holiness

Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we forget the Good News, the Gospel of Christ.  Oh yes, we keep trudging to Mass, trying to pray, maybe reading a few lines of a spiritual book before we nod off but we lose sight of the real goal of the Christian life. Holiness I……

In a Crisis, I Found Refuge in Infused Prayer

In the midst of a family crisis, I found refuge in the words of the prayer Jesus gave us. When we are open to the Holy Spirit, the Father shines His purifying light on us. The process is often painful, though, because when the light of the Father comes into our hearts and lives, the……

Reflections and Art on Epiphany

Every year the feast of the Epiphany is a day to celebrate man’s powerful need to connect to God. It is a need which drives us to question, search, and seek out the truth. After the wisemen have devoted years to study, they venture into the unknown, following a star of all things, into a……

The Invasion of Time by Eternity: The Birth of Christ

Christmas is not an event within history but is rather the invasion of time by eternity. (Hans Urs Von Balthasar) Eternity Is Not Linear From our point of view, the Infant Jesus was born in a moment in history more than 2,000 years ago. People see time as linear, measurable and so view the first Christmas……

Like a Grumpy Dwarf- Blind to Beauty

Sometimes a person must not only hear the truth but see it dramatized either in someone else’s’ life or even in the life of a fictional character in a book. Blind to Beauty As I was reading the series, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis for the fourth time, the ridiculous behaviour of the dwarves literally slapped……

Welcome the Outsider

The attitude of each and every parishioner affects the atmosphere of each individual parish. It is not just the priest who sets the tone. Granted, it takes a concerted effort to reach out to strangers in our midst at Mass. It is so easy to retreat into our own private prayers and ignore outsiders. However,……