Category Archives: Erin Madden

Jan 24 2020

Listen, Learn, Repent

Click here for daily readings When I sit down to write a blog post, my first thought is, “What can we learn from these readings? What can we take to heart and to prayer?” Upon first glance, I thought today’s fi...

Jan 11 2020

Heard and Answered

Click here for daily readings Confidence was the first word that jumped out at me in today’s first reading. However, I found myself lacking in confidence as I struggled to come up with an engaging introduction to this blog...

Jan 07 2020

Out of Love

Click here for daily readings Love is complicated — end of story. Okay, not really end of story. But love IS complicated – that statement shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s complicated enough that I we...

Dec 24 2019

An Open Door

Click here for daily readings Waiting. Anticipation. Hope. We have arrived at the doorstep of Christmas. This afternoon, many of us will depart our houses, hands laden with all the makings of a celebration: gifts, food, cookies,...

Dec 11 2019

Receive Rest

Click here for daily readings “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” One simple Gospel verse with so much hope and longing. A perfect Gospel verse for Advent. A Gospel verse that ...

Nov 27 2019

A Lenten Approach To Advent

Click here for daily readings I am intrigued by the readings leading up to the First Sunday of Advent. After celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King, in which we hear the Gospel taking place at the crucifixion, the Gospels ...

Nov 11 2019

Worthy of Mercy

Click here for daily readings Today’s readings have a little bit of a heavier hand, with a lot of focus on sin and temptation and the ramifications. Hearing the line, “It would be better for him if a millstone were p...

Oct 28 2019

Called

Click here for daily readings During Eucharistic adoration with my high school teens last Monday night, I was struck by the word, “called.” We had just finished singing “O Come to the Altar,” where the li...

Oct 15 2019

Mighty

Click here for daily readings Through today’s first reading, responsorial psalm and Gospel, I see one consistent theme: the power of God. How often do we sit down and reflect, really reflect, on God’s power? Could we...

Sep 23 2019

A Call to Action

Click here for daily readings As you sit here and read this post, I am preparing a night of Eucharistic adoration for my high school youth ministry, the first of many nights to come for this group. You see, before I started at m...

Sep 09 2019

For the Sake of Suffering

Click here for daily readings As I read through today’s readings in preparation for this post, one phrase hit me like a ton of bricks. Redemptive suffering. It’s a phrase you’ve probably heard before but mayb...

Aug 26 2019

Be Delighted

Click here for daily readings The Lord delights in you. Let that sink in for a moment. The Lord DELIGHTS in you. The Lord delights in YOU. Today, I invite us to reflect on the responsorial psalm and the way we can emphasize the...

Aug 08 2019

Praying with Peter

Click here for daily readings “Thou art Peter and upon this rock, I shall build my church.” These are the first words I saw when I walked into my new church. I had been offered my new job just a few days prior and w...

Jul 27 2019

Modern Day Wheat

Click here for daily readings Upon reading the first few lines of today’s Gospel, I thought to myself, “Yes, the Parable of the Sower! I can write about this!” Then I kept reading, and I panicked. This parable,...

Jul 13 2019

Forgiven, Again and Again

Click here for daily readings An IMDb search of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat comes up with the following description: “In this filmed adaptation of the long-running musical, we see the story of Joseph, son...

Jun 24 2019

Call Me John

Click here for daily readings I’ll be the first to tell you: I had no idea that today’s feast day existed until recently. Hold off for a minute before you Google the answer. A few days ago, I was sitting at my desk ...

Jun 08 2019

One and Two

Click here for daily readings Peter and John. The rock and the beloved disciple. The first Bishop of Rome and the one whom Jesus loved. Today’s Gospel reading is really intriguing with these two apostles. Intriguing but a...

May 29 2019

Evangelization 101

Click here for daily readings Evangelization seems to be a “buzz word” in the faith. Everyone’s heard it. A lot of people seem to be talking about it. We all know it’s part of our Catholic vocation, some...

May 07 2019

Taking the Tough Stuff

Click here for daily readings Martyr (n.): A person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle or cause. This is one of the many definitions I found on dictionary.com. Today’s first ...

Apr 25 2019

In The Moment

Click here for daily readings Christ is risen, alleluia, alleluia! Often times, Catholics and Christians alike forget that Easter is a whole liturgical season spanning 50 days and not just the one solitary Sunday. As we continu...