‘There is a Saint for that!’ I find the Saints one of the fun aspects of being Catholic. There are so many of them, and their stories are of regular people who lived heroically Catholic lives and so the Saints at the very least make excellent examples for us all. I find I relate to the faults in St. Jerome’s temperament (I too tend to be irascible!) but I want to respond more like St. Teresa of Avila, St. Josemaria Escriva, Blessed John Paul II, or Trudy Krise. Their examples are an inspiration to my efforts to live my vocation … Continue reading
Category Archives: Vocation
People create collections. Some collections fit in a notebook or a single drawer. Others, such as cars, require copious amounts of room. Collections can be kept small, a few objects on a single shelf, or they may fill a home with display cabinets. They may relate to the collector’s vocation or simply be a beloved hobby. I had a professor of Literature whose home was filled with row on row of loaded bookshelves. Another professor kept fewer books, but had a harp in her living room so she could recite Beowulf to music. People collect a variety of things. Some … Continue reading
The greatest weakness interfering with me sticking perfectly to my diet is stress. One humdinger of a crazy day followed by passing a candy machine on campus and there I go, falling into temptation. I went a full MONTH without a single glitch or binge. A month of eating on my diet, feeling really really good, and losing a lovely bunch of pounds. Then in one fell swoop, I ate two chocolate bars. In one sitting like a greedy little glutton, I scarfed down those two chocolate goodies. I didn’t even eat them slow enough to enjoy them. This may … Continue reading
Fr. Z shares about a ministry to retired priests who have fallen through the cracks and are not being supported in their old age. Opus Bono Sacerdotii help for priests who have nowhere else to turn is filling a need that I did not know about until Fr. Z shared about them. Please visit their web site. I feel heartbroken that good priests, men who have been spiritual fathers and faithfully served Christ and His Church are forgotten in such a way! Apparently not every diocese has done what they ought to have done to prepare a place for these … Continue reading
Stand up and get moving for your health. Over at the Catholic Writer’s Guild is a great post titled, “Creaky Bones? Fitness for Writers” which I found inspirational and reminded me of some things I have done for my health but let slide. Keeping my body healthy is an important part of fulfilling my vocation. It is also important to show my children a good example. I used to do all my internet activity from a desk stationed for standing only. I loaded all my favorite move my body music onto that computer and would play music while I surfed … Continue reading
Raising children to be good Catholics, true to the fullness of the Faith, is difficult enough with most of secular society teaching a different philosophy, but then we get nuns who teach heresies publicly and the Bishop does not announce that they are excommunicated. Doesn’t the Bishop realize that by allowing this woman to continue in her errors without strong public correction he makes it harder for me to convince my children that her words are WRONG? Sister Donna Quinn, a Chicago native who has been a Catholic nun for over 50 years, said it’s about time for Illinois to … Continue reading
Cooking creatively for flavor while still meeting health based dietary needs can be challenging and fun. Today, while reading an RV forum, I got to thinking about the food staples in my kitchen and decided to blog about staples: DRIED HERBS AND SPICES: every ethnic group uses its own palate of spices and this alone can make your entire cooking experience shine.I use some mixes for fast convenience but I also have 10-20 individual items I use. Italian Seasoning (no salt), Lemon Pepper seasoning, Garlic pepper seasoning, basil, mint, oregano, garum masala thyme celery seed Salt: course and fine ground, … Continue reading
My fall retreat took place last week at Featherock Conference Center. They run women’s and men’s retreats at various times throughout the year and I cannot say enough GOOD about this place and the people who run it. The priest who serves the retreat gave excellent meditations. He served the Mass with great reverence and devotion. Confession was available for several hours every day. The participants in the retreat took turns leading prayers and examinations of conscience. It was a time set apart for prayer, for a deeper reflection on the living of life, and an opportunity to resolve to … Continue reading
I experienced a marvelously refreshing silent spiritual retreat last week. This quiet time to be focused on God and not on the everyday stuff came just in time to help me find my center for Advent. Besides giving us deep messages from Scripture and Church teaching to ponder, daily Mass served faithfully and reverently, this priest spent several hours in the confessional so that if in our examinations of conscience we found anything requiring confession, that was available to us. This priest was so dedicated he was in the confessional so long that every participant in the retreat could have … Continue reading
The last two blog entries on vocation (Progressing In My Vocation and Unsticking My Vocation) have led to my thinking about the woman of Proverbs 31. She is, in the ideals of her time period, a very capable woman whose thrift and hard work make it possible for her husband to join the important elders of the community. “There are so many ways!” you told me dejectedly. There need to be many, so that each soul can find its own in that wonderful variety. Bewildered? Make your choice once and for all: and the confusion will turn into certainty. (THE … Continue reading