“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). That’s a truth to keep central as we enter this season of Lent. It’s possible to make a grandiose resolution and miss the reality at the […]
I fold my underwear. That is probably an overshare, so please forgive me. I also fold my socks, but I doubt that makes me unique, because folding socks makes sense, but underwear? What’s the point?! I have often had that discussion in my head and with my wife (especially when we were first married and […]
“Mom, that’s cheating!” our 15-year-old son reprimanded me. “Well, whatever works, right?” I tried to defend myself. “Yeah, but it doesn’t really count if you don’t do it on your own,” he insisted. “I still think it’s cheating.” “Fine. You can see it anyway you want, but I don’t see it as cheating so I […]
The other night, I had the pleasure of watching You Again, a fun, lighthearted comedy that will appeal to anyone who ever found herself at the bottom of the social ladder in high school. Featuring such stars as Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell, and Betty White, it explores what happens when women are […]
I always find the lyrics of the song “Red River Valley” to be haunting and beautiful. Written in Iowa, and making reference to frontier days, the song is often performed as a cowboy song. The song makes reference to the frontier days in Canada, and an expedition through the Red River Valley of the north, and […]
As I crossed the great divide of puberty, I formed a vivid image of God.. He was a grumpy old man on a throne with a frown on his face. Every time anyone tried to have a little fun, he’d shout “Thou shalt not!” But to really live and not just exist, you had to […]
As someone new to praying the liturgy of the hours, I never before fully understood the place of the psalms in the prayer of the Church. “In [Christ],” the Catechism says, “the psalms continue to teach us how to pray”, so much so that the Church calls the psalms a “school of prayer” (2587 and […]
Adam and Eve really did have it easy. They were so comfortable in their human skin. More to the point, they were comfortable in their human skin which had a spiritual soul. This did not seem odd or cause them any kind of dilemma, stress, or confusion. They were created to be perfectly at ease […]
My father taught me one of the most amazing lessons I’ve ever learned about forgiveness. It happened when I was a young girl, about eight years of age or so. I was at home with my mother and two sisters just doing things around the house. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and there was a flurry […]
“[F]or dust thou art, and to dust thou shall return” (Gen. 3:19). We are food for worms, and yet our culture, our modernist worldview, pretends that nature can somehow be betrayed. We worship the appearance of youth while we are alive, and when those around us give in to inevitability, we hide the reality of […]
An Ice Cream Sundae. At 11:30 p.m. or so on Mardi Gras. My yearly custom, for many years, was to take a bowl of Whitey’s Ice Cream, cover it with Butterscotch and/or Carmamel and/or Chocolate Sauce, maybe throw on some peanuts, and enjoy my last indulgence before the start of Lent. Ice Cream. I was […]
In our family we observe a common Catholic tradition: whenever we hear a siren, we say a Hail Mary, “for whoever is in need and for the first responders”. Since we live just a few blocks from a fire station, we get lots of practice in this devotion. Which also affords our daughter Liz, now […]
While getting ready for a dance at the University of Detroit during a freshman college orientation weekend, I had a life changing experience. It was a moment of awakening that has stayed with me for over thirty years. The roommate I was assigned for the weekend was a tall, slim girl with short black hair. […]
Hear Gary Zimak on EWTN radio’s Son Rise Morning Show Tuesday, 3/8 at 6:45 a.m. and on Ave Maria/EWTN Catholic Connection Friday, 3/11 at 8:35 a.m. No matter how close we are to God, the season of Lent provides a great opportunity to grow closer to Him. One of the biggest mistakes that we can make is to not take advantage of […]
By now we all know that a new Roman Missal is on its way to use in our parishes. If you are like me, you want to know how and why things come about. So, consistant with this, I looked up the committees instrumental in the revising and establishment of our Roman Missals, past and present, here are my […]
A few months ago, an acquaintance told me she was in a RCIA program. I don’t call her a “friend” because I really do not know her quite well. I think she is a nice person who has the potential to be a good friend but my knowledge of her and her life is very […]
Visitors from other Christian groups to an Orthodox Divine Liturgy will often find some similarities to their own religious services along with some major differences. For example, visitors from other liturgical Churches will recognize the Epistle and Gospel readings, the Alleluia, and the Anaphora or Canon before the distribution of the Eucharist. One major difference, […]
She was just a wisp of a thing. She probably was around 20, but she looked like she was 13 years old. She had a beautiful newborn baby girl snuggled on her shoulder as she stood patiently at the back of the crowd. She reminded me of what I’d imagined our Blessed Mother to look […]
Apple. McIntosh. Golden Delicious. Johnny Red. My earliest memories of apples come from visits to Stone’s Apple Orchard in Hampton, Illinois. They were open year round, it seems, and whether in February or June, entering the apple barn where the lights were down low and there was a crispness in the air and the smell […]
In the ancient world, most peoples believed in a universe that had many gods. But even without the help of biblical revelation, Greek philosophers figured something out. There could only be one Supreme Being, only one almighty and omnipotent Ruler of all, only one God. In the twelfth chapter of Luke, Jesus asks a question. […]
I am kneeling in a place of absolute peace. Soft music plays in the background, telling everyone of God’s unfailing love. The pungent smell of incense hangs in the air. The lighting in the room is dim, except for a solitary spotlight. This spotlight illuminates the monstrance, which contains Jesus Christ in the form of […]
Just as all this was about to happen in Rome (see part one, part two), the head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department of External Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, was engaged in an unprecedented week-long trip to the USA in early February Unprecedented because it involved meeting not only with other Russian Orthodox living in America, […]
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. ~ John 14:2a When I was a young parent (well not so young but let’s say a new parent) I scoured books searching for parenting tips and techniques. I can remember once reading something to the effect that “by now you should recognize your baby’s cry” and […]
Pope Benedict XVI and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met for 35 minutes on Thursday, February 17, in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. This meeting was rather long — sometimes such meetings with national leaders only last 20 or 25 minutes. You can watch the public parts of the visit on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7z6kK3XfdU The two […]
