It is ironic that, as a Catholic, the most difficult part of having a chronic health issue isn’t the health issue itself but is the big question: Should I pray for healing…or should I carry my cross? And it is that question that often keeps us spiraling through a journey that is already burdensome and […]
The other day I had some precious free time which I was going to spend working on the computer. I set up my laptop on the kitchen table, went to grab something to drink, turned around and found my older son sitting at the computer settling himself in. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Working […]
I have another reason to count my blessings these days: My sleep rhythms have settled down. I can consistently sleep 9 hours a night and arise refreshed in the morning. Sounds like a pretty small triumph, doesn’t it? But I remember the days not so long ago when I was sleeping twelve hours or more, […]
The results of a recent survey of parents of children with disabilities ran cross-grain to the mentality that characterizes our society’s culture of death. Published in the medical journal Pediatrics, the survey included parents of 272 children suffering from the extreme genetic conditions Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18—conditions where a child is born with an extra 13 […]
Baby loss through miscarriage is one of the last taboo subjects in our society. Because in most cases, it is largely a hidden loss, the grief associated with it is all too often dismissed easily by people who just don’t understand. Karen Edmisten and those who contributed to After Miscarriage: A Catholic Woman’s Companion to […]
Dear Anthony, I’m absolutely fed up! I’m done! I’m tired of the singles trap and everyone telling me it’s just not my turn yet! Why isn’t it my turn? Why must it take so long? I’m tired of being alone! I’m tired of having no one to share my life with! I’m trying not to […]
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! (Psalm 95: 6) To kneel before God is a blessed thing. We are the only creatures who roam the earth with a free will, and the only ones with the freedom to give homage by kneeling to the One […]
My husband and I recently attended the funeral of a relative who died suddenly at age twenty-one. During the lovely Baptist service, family and friends told stories and gave testimonies of a girl who loved generously, especially children, and was about to obtain a teaching degree. She not only had a special gift of capturing […]
Recently, my wife, LaRee, and I addressed about 75 Christian medical students who came from across Canada’s three western provinces to hear us. We spoke about our sorrows and grief that have accompanied our twenty-eight years living with chronic, degenerative multiple sclerosis. We shared insights we have gained from our Christian perspectives. I spoke about […]
Before seminary I worked as a reporter. In the news business we used a saying to determine whether a story merited front-page coverage or should be placed on the back page. “If it bleeds, it leads.” In newspaper jargon, it means, “If you want blood, we’ve got it,” and never let the facts get in […]
When I was in 4th grade, I wrote my first short story. My teacher was the first in my school who wanted to try a “creative classroom.” After we finished our assigned work, she had stations we could go to with extra projects. One included story starts. I took one of the cards and wrote […]
In Muslim countries like Pakistan, many of the young men begin studying the Koran as soon as they can read. In fact, many of them learn to read using the Koran. They read and discuss the Koran every day, for hours each day, every day of the week until they know it by heart. Many of them […]
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8: 22-23) This passage from St. Paul to the Romans is […]
Dear God, I don’t get it! is the name of my children’s book and it’s also the message I’ve heard through the years when bad things happen to good people. Whenever the weight of the cross presses upon us, we tend to feel somewhat betrayed. Why me Lord? I don’t get it! I pray and […]
The other day, my three-year-old son observed, “Churches have crosses on them.” I looked up, surprised at the connection he had made. Daringly, I decided to push my luck and asked him, “Why do churches have crosses on them?” Astonished, I heard his answer: “Because it’s a sign. It’s a good sign.” I was partly […]
It is the Lenten season; a time of fasting and penance in an effort to draw nearer to the Lord who suffered all things for love of His people. And though the time to consciously strive to join one’s sufferings to the Cross of Christ is always in season, during Lent it is especially so. […]
