It is a radical thing to declare oneself a sinner, but on Ash Wednesday, we willingly wear that sign of guilt across our foreheads.
Faith in Focus
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
The Catholic Case for Galentine’s Day
Feeling conflicted about eating those heart-shaped chocolates on Ash Wednesday this year? Try celebrating Galentine’s Day with your gal pals on Feb. 13 instead.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
How Julian of Norwich’s writings on suffering have helped me as a cancer patient
“If we come to understand that God suffers alongside us as one who truly knows what it means to suffer, our anger morphs into love and our suffering mysteriously becomes a means of transformation.”
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
When my siblings died by suicide, the church failed us. Now, it’s finally listening.
The gift of my Catholic faith is one I cherish above all others. And, yet, how do I love a church that once considered my brother and sister to be unworthy of eternal life with God?
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
How ringing bells as an altar boy made the miracle of Mass feel real for me
Even today, if bells are not rung at the consecration, my memory fills in the space of silence.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
A prayer for death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith
Kenneth Eugene Smith will face execution by the state of Alabama tonight. I pray that God may grant him peace.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Jonah is the prophet we need today
God sending Jonah to Nineveh would be like telling a modern-day rabbi to preach in Iran or Gaza.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
The story of Our Lady of Altagracia, the Dominican Republic’s very own Mary
Dominicans celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Altagracia on Jan. 21. The image, which depicts an infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph, is the most popular devotion in the Caribbean nation. It has been for centuries.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
What I say when people ask: How many children do you have?
Answering the question of how many kids feels impossible.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
How a New Jersey college educates women religious from around the world
The mission of Assumption College for Sisters states that “through education and community,” the school “forms servant leaders who transform lives.”