None of us can avoid suffering or death. This complex body of ours can withstand extreme situations with nary a bruise, but sooner or later it is going to undergo suffering and eventually death—which is always looming in the future. Way to be a downer, Barb! Hang on,...
In these reflections, I aim to show how the gift of our bodies benefits everyone. Our bodies are meant for more than pleasure or pain. Even angels lack bodies; God gave us ours with purpose, making the visible reveal the invisible—much like a Sacrament, a visible sign...
As I sat in the ear doctor's office last week, waiting to be seen, I was mesmerized by the pencil drawing of the inner ear on the wall. The detail was incredible. Wow, Barb, you should get out more. No, seriously, we've all seen anatomical posters of the body in the...
It’s almost that time of year again when we work on our halo, Lent. How cool is it that the Church gives us so many opportunities in our everyday life that stretches and disciplines us on our way to sainthood. No, I didn't always think this way, but I'm getting older,...
Today was an unexpected joy. A dear friend was celebrating her birthday and had invited me to tag along with her sisters for a spa day. I need no excuse for a spa day, and was happy to join them. We were all around the same age and had an uncanny number of similar...
Today is the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The perfect family that sets the bar high, yet attainable for us regular folks, too. There were days when it felt like nothing was going right. Having never been a mother before, each day was a new...
I advanced another year today. Thank you, Lord, for all the years gone by and for never giving up on me. More frequently, I hear myself saying without thinking, “I used to be able to…” (fill in the blank). A couple of years back, one of our granddaughters was...
Have you ever been confounded by how something turned out? Confounded? What does that mean? To be perplexed by situations or people that do not meet your expectations. That hardly sounds like a gift. As Christians, we can assume life should be a walk in the park, and...
It was a beautiful evening as we celebrated my husband’s birthday. In and out we went as we grilled fajitas and pushed grandkids on swings through the wide-open patio doors. My mother says I charge through life, which is not surprising, as I rushed back outside to get...
A couple of friends and I were commenting on how the warm weather still hanging around was getting tiresome. It then occurred to us that in Phoenix, we do not have to worry about tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, or snow. No unexpected earthquakes send us scampering to...
I'm fascinated by stained-glass windows. However when the sun isn't shining through, they appear dark and uninteresting, but oh, when the light shines through, they're enchanting. As the sun changes angles, we see clearly the details and colors painstakingly crafted...
I remember one of our daughters sending me a photo that, at first glance, looked like a happy toddler in a car seat. Upon closer inspection, her daughter was covered in chartreuse vomit. She had colic as a baby, and her little tummy was still trying to figure out...
If there is anything I've learned over these sixty-plus years, it is this: trust Jesus. It's easy, but we tend to make it difficult. We like being in control and calling the shots. Have you ever sat down and really thought about how much power you actually have over...
Do we ever think about asking God to increase our faith? Increase my paycheck, or my bank account, but not my faith. I want to propose that asking for an increase in faith benefits us personally, collectively, and eternally. Jesus responds to the Disciples' request to...
Jesus knew we all need a mom, so He gifted us with His perfect Mother.
We arrived at the City of the Immaculata in Niepokalanow, Poland, located outside of Warsaw. It was here that Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, would begin his passionate work in the year 1927. “The City saw its original staff of...
Fr. Dave Pivonka, President of Franciscan University, stated in his Holy Spirit podcast on Hallow, that there are 350-thousand Masses celebrated around the world each day. I had to pause and let that sink in. That’s both staggering and amazing! My little grey cells...
We are a people who are stretched to the breaking point. We carry burdens too heavy for us to bear alone. We try and try, to no avail, and are more burdened due to our delay, and the troubles compound. We need that friend named Jesus.
On this Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I pray for our country and all peoples of the Americas. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen. Forty-five years have passed in what feels like an instant. Unforgettable are the wild...
Is anything more frustrating than a tree that will not produce the fruit it was designed to deliver? After purchasing a lemon tree and following all the prescribed directions for it to flourish, we rightfully expected to find lemons. Instead, we got a dead tree that...
I know what it feels like to lose a baby through a miscarriage. Not once, but twice. I understand the crushing pain of infertility for years. I, too, have grandbabies that I hope to someday meet in Heaven, who were also miscarried. Even though I never met my own...