Category Archives: Inspiration Daily

Dec 16 2017

Don’t Miss Jesus in the Bethlehem of your Life

It all began quite spontaneously, unintentionally. One of those things that settle on you like a gentle night or a soft dew. Peace. Possibility. We sit there a long while, holding hands, our fingers curled together protectively, vuln...

Dec 15 2017

Some People Are Never Happy

After several years of destructive behavior because of his addiction to drugs, a man changed his life. He went to 12-step meetings. He came back to the Church. He made amends to those he had hurt and reconciled with his estranged wife. When sh...

Dec 14 2017

Fear Not, I Will Help You

San Juan de la Cruz, a Spanish Carmelite priest and monk of the 16th century, so perfectly incarnated that element in Christianity we call mystical that, on this day, we celebrate him not only as a Saint but also as a Doctor of the Church. The...

Dec 13 2017

Welcome the Mystery

New life is exciting… But it’s also scary. It’s alluring. And enveloping. And fulfilling. It’s all of these things. There is many a theological point to be made about why Christ chose to enter the world as a baby&helli...

Dec 12 2017

Am I Not Here, I, Who Am Your Mother?

“Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry you...

Dec 11 2017

Waiting or Worrying?

So often our times of waiting seem to be filled with desolation, pain, or uncertainty. In a liturgical season of the Church called Advent, we are called to a time of preparation. It is a time to prepare our hearts specifically for ...

Dec 10 2017

A Voice Has Cried Out in the Wilderness

Possibly some of the most stirring words of the Hebrew Bible are found in today’s first reading. A voice has cried out—in the wilderness—to prepare the way of the Lord, to make smooth his path, to see the glory of the Lord re...

Dec 09 2017

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Today is the memorial of Saint Juan Diego, who Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to at the Hill of Tepeyac, near present day Mexico City. We will celebrate this great feast of Our Lady of Guadelupe next Tuesday, but for now it would be helpful to...

Dec 08 2017

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Today is not only a feast day on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, but a Solemnity – the top of the feast day hierarchy in the Roman Rite. Like Christmas and Easter, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is also a holy day of ...

Dec 07 2017

How the Power of God’s Word Can Change Your Life

The miserable young man felt hopeless. Despite his talents and promising career, his life was a mess. He was drawn to God but resisted, because he didn’t want to give up his sin. He was addicted to lust. Sitting in a garden one day, pour...

Dec 06 2017

Advent: a banquet for the soul

Thanksgiving in the convent is pretty amazing. Sometimes the stereotype of religious sisters is that they are solemn, serious, and strict, but in my experience, religious sisters carry within them a deep joy that simply bubbles over when there...

Dec 06 2017

Advent: a banquet for the soul

Thanksgiving in the convent is pretty amazing. Sometimes the stereotype of religious sisters is that they are solemn, serious, and strict, but in my experience, religious sisters carry within them a deep joy that simply bubbles over when there...

Dec 05 2017

Where’s the Cranberry sauce!! Creating Family Traditions

This Thanksgiving as the adults were finishing the last preparations for our Feast, my brother-n-law called out, “hey, where’s the cranberry sauce?” To which all of us sisters crinkled our faces and stated, “that tradit...

Dec 04 2017

Advent: A Time to Remember

One year ago, today, as I watched snow fall down on my windshield, I was a perfect concoction of nervous and excited. I remember the brief instance of cold as I walked out of my car and then the wave of warmth as I entered that little coffee s...

Dec 03 2017

Advent: poetry for the spiritual life

When I was little, one of my older sisters lent me a tiny book of lines from Shakespeare’s sonnets. Dazzled by their brilliance, insight into human nature, and eloquence, I decided I would be a poet! My dream of writing poetry didn&rsquo...