19th
May 2013
He gently leads his dad down the aisle. Mass is about to begin and he knows it will take a few minutes to get him settled. The son's hand firmly grasped around dad's elbow, they continue slowly, carefully, to their favourite pew. The younger instructs the elder to hold the back of the pew in front of him and he guides his father gently down into the seat. He places the sturdy cane on the floor and then helps dad ... (Continue reading)
First, a clarification: All moms work, whether they stay at home or go out and earn a paycheque. For this post, I am defining "working mom" as those of us who work outside the home. In the twenty-five years that I have been a mother, I have worked as a full-time and part-time RN. I was also a stay-at-home mom for a few years, homeschooling for three of those years. Currently I am an RN in independent practice and own a ... (Continue reading)
I watched the YouTube videos and read the articles of Susan Griffiths' final week of life with a mixture of sadness, discouragement, and anger. Susan Griffiths was the Canadian woman from Winnipeg, Manitoba who committed assisted suicide at the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland on 25 April 2013. She was in the early stages of Multiple Systems Atrophy, a rare condition of the involuntary nervous system. As the name implies, it attacks all organ systems, thereby affecting everything ... (Continue reading)
"If God exists, why did He make us all different? Why didn't He make us all one colour, one religion? Then we wouldn't keep fighting each other. There's been wars ever since the world began. Why would God allow that?" These questions were directed to me by an avowed atheist whom I'll call "Jack," an elderly person who sometimes brings up the topic of religion. On this particular day, he also pointed out the hypocrisy of rabbis, priests, ministers—anyone in a ... (Continue reading)
The recent news of the suicide of Rick Warren's twenty-seven-year-old son, Matthew, is very tragic. Rick Warren is a famed Evangelical Christian pastor, a popular speaker, and the celebrated author of The Purpose Driven Life. In his statement to his congregation at the Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, Pastor Rick wrote: Matthew suffered "from birth with mental illness, dark holes of depression, even suicidal thoughts." Only those closest to the family knew of the pain and the many unsuccessful ... (Continue reading)
One of the things I enjoyed about the recent conclave in Rome was the steady stream of photos documenting the latest developments. I particularly liked looking at pictures of the Cardinals, especially the lesser known ones. Where were they from? What was their story? A friend was in Rome attending the Conclave. Because of his position within the Archdiocese, he spent part of his time with the Cardinals. He developed a congenial rapport with Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, leader of the ... (Continue reading)
Pope Francis washes the feet of women on Holy Thursday and the Catholic world goes crazy! The "yeas" and the "nays" are not-so-quietly lining up on both sides of the line drawn in the sand. But the rubrics! He's going against the Holy Thursday rubrics! Yes, he certainly is, but since he's the Pope, it follows that he can grant himself the necessary dispensation. Ever since Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio became Pope Francis, Catholics of all stripes have an opinion. Those of ... (Continue reading)
Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you? Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too. We are pilgrims on a journey, we are trav’lers on the road. We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load. (from a song by Richard Gillard) Holy Thursday is very special to me. In a personal way I can relate to Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles. As an ... (Continue reading)
Late have I loved You, beauty so old and so new; late have I loved You... If part of that famous passage from Book Ten in Augustine's Confessions were lifted out of the book and read independently, it could be interpreted as a love letter—a breathtakingly sublime, swooning-in-your-arms ode to one's beloved. In fact, that is exactly what it is: Augustine's passionate declaration of love to his Beloved. It seems fitting to reflect on this passage during Lent. I don't need to have an ... (Continue reading)
Like many faithful Catholics, the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left me feeling uncertain and deeply saddened. For a few days, I felt a little weepy and the wet, slushy weather fuelled my winter blahs. With a heavy heart, I went to work each morning as a visiting nurse in the community. On one of my rounds, a patient struck up an unwelcome conversation. A non-Catholic, the person weighed in with unsolicited negative opinions about the Papacy, the outgoing Pope, ... (Continue reading)
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - ...
Several years ago, when I was working on a community theatre project, I overheard two little girls having ...
My friend blogged the other day about how her boys, when allowed to have whatever they want for ...
He gently leads his dad down the aisle. Mass is about to begin and he knows it will ...
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go ...
He gently leads his dad down the aisle. Mass is about to begin and he ...
First, a clarification: All moms work, whether they stay at home or go out and ...
I watched the YouTube videos and read the articles of Susan Griffiths' final ...
"If God exists, why did He make us all different? Why didn't He make us ...
The recent news of the suicide of Rick Warren's twenty-seven-year-old son, Matthew, is very tragic. ...
One of the things I enjoyed about the recent conclave in Rome was the steady ...
Pope Francis washes the feet of women on Holy Thursday and the Catholic world goes ...
Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you? Pray ...
Late have I loved You, beauty so old and so new; late have I loved ...
Like many faithful Catholics, the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left me feeling uncertain ...
One of the kids in my First Communion Class asked me how many more days ...
If it's Tuesday evening, then my ten-year-old daughter has choir practice. She's one of a ...
Did you hear the one about the woman who became a man but then gave ...
Three years ago during a Lenten Friday Mass, I was called upon to use my ...
Sometime before Christmas I made the upsetting discovery that I had lost ...