Being faithful in the little things during Advent
We are drawing near to the season of Advent — a season of anticipation, hope and arrival. However, Advent, at least in my household, has the sad tendency to get…
Letting go of perfectionism to chase perfection
Beauty abounds in a French patisserie and a humble home kitchen alike. The former boasts cakes and pastries meticulously crafted and adorned with the utmost detail. The latter offers irregularly…
3 lessons I learned from St. Mary Magdalene
Commonly depicted with long, wavy hair and an alabaster jar of ointment in her hand, St. Mary Magdalene is often mentioned in the same breath as that ugly word, “sin.”…
How ballroom dancing improved my spiritual life
Have you ever been completely surprised by the Lord using one of your passions to teach you how to grow in intimacy with him? For the last few years, I…
When you feel you’ve lost Jesus, turn to Our Lady of Sorrows
Joyful religious sisters, brothers and priests are almost magnetic in how they draw young people to consider living lives of radical holiness. As a young girl, I felt this attraction…
Look to the spiritual classics to find joy in suffering
If we seek to conform ourselves to Christ, then we seek to conform ourselves to his cross. In the timeless spiritual classic, “The Imitation of Christ,” whose authorship is commonly…
Finding Christ’s love in times of grief
I woke up one morning tired of the noise of my usual routine: wake up, crawl out of bed, turn off my alarm and press play on my favorite podcast…
How to fit more devotions into our busy lives
Pope Francis recently visited Fatima, Portugal, where he spoke to 200,000 pilgrims. While there, he proclaimed a new devotional title for Mary, “Our Lady in a Hurry.” While this title…
What I learned about God’s love while making homemade mayo
I love mayo. Spicy mayo, plain mayo, mixed with ketchup. Drip your fries in it, spread it on a hamburger bun, heck I’ll eat it by the spoonful. Call me…
When you see holiness in a life well lived
Five years ago, on the eve of the feast of the Assumption, my grandfather passed from this life. A fresh college graduate, I had spent the previous few months living…