by Barbara | May 7, 2020
Being a mom for thirty-six years has had an effect in every aspect of my life. I feel a real need at times, to mother the rest of humanity. Everywhere I look, I see ways to mother people. I cannot seem to help myself. The words just bubble up and I act without even...
by Barbara | Apr 29, 2020
We all eagerly await the time when we can return to Mass and receive the Eucharist. It has been a long Springtime away from the “Bread of Life.” The closer we get to something that we want, the harder it is to contain our excitement. So, it is with the Co-Vid 19...
by Barbara | Apr 25, 2020
Sitting here in the glory of this spring morning, a quiet breeze touches my cheek and tickles the leaves as it passes by. It’s intoxicating fragrance dances in my nostrils. Amazingly I am at peace, sucking in every possible ounce of this moment. I am usually running...
by Barbara | Apr 23, 2020
I would like to think that it all started with a “Y- cord.” Years ago, at one of my very first marriage prep classes, I got sucked into using more technology at St. Andrew’s when teaching. It has been a love/hate relationship ever since. Sometimes no matter how...
by Barbara | Apr 14, 2020
In the uncharted waters of this pandemic in our lives, the media seems to hyper-focus on all the pain, sadness, doom and gloom, they can possibly suck out of this current situation. Lots of armchair quarterbacks and back seat drivers point fingers on what should have,...
by Barbara | Apr 12, 2020
There is nothing you can ever do to make God love you less. Nothing. This is very hard for us human creatures to wrap our heads around. A love so generous we can’t do anything to lessen it. Jesus came to make this point perfectly and tangibly obvious through His life...
by Barbara | Apr 11, 2020
Our third son married his beloved fiancee just over 5 years ago now. What a beautiful day it was. Everything was perfect. Family and friends were in town from both sides, and great jubilation saturated the air. The weeks leading up to the wedding were filled with...
by Barbara | Apr 10, 2020
By: Barbara Lishko I love the holidays. What an awesome opportunity it presents to get our large family together. This past Thanksgiving, we were especially blessed to be in full force with all twenty-nine of us. The two military boys and eight college...
by Barbara | Apr 9, 2020
A couple of months ago I was having lunch with some friends. Remember what that felt like? Most of us have been quarantined for weeks now due to the COVID 19 breakout and global pandemic. Just two months ago, no one could have guessed that something invisible to the...
by Barbara | Apr 8, 2020
By: Barbara Lishko I know full well that I am supposed to be exercising on a regular basis. I’ve heard all of the arguments in favor of why one should be dutiful to the cause and yet; time after time I let my brain hold my backside hostage. It takes very little effort...
by Barbara | Apr 6, 2020
There are many and varied images that we see of Jesus Christ and one that seems to cause the greatest curiosity may be the Sacred Heart image. This is the image where Jesus is pulling back his cloak to reveal his heart which is flaming and surrounded by a crown of...
by Barbara | Apr 4, 2020
On a busy Sunday evening just before Mass began, a woman approached me in the narthex and asked if I was Barb. I responded that I was, and she got teary eyed and whispered that her daughter was deeply into drugs. She could no longer hold back her tears, I said that I...
by Barbara | Apr 3, 2020
I can remember back to a time when I was the blessed mother of five kids, all under the age of seven. The looks and remarks I would get were priceless. Of course, there were always the comments from kindhearted souls who would often say, “Don’t you know what causes...
by Barbara | Apr 2, 2020
Throughout the various physical challenges that have plagued me of late, I have grown spiritually. This is “good” fruit. Perhaps God knew the “Martha types” like me, need to slow down to actually listen and become more of a “Mary type.” My references are of course, to...
by Barbara | Apr 2, 2020
I am one of those souls that schools, charities, and hospitals love to see coming. I have a condition, which prohibits me from saying no to most requests for help. I have said it before, and it bears repeating, I am pretty sure that I wasn’t born with the...
by Barbara | Mar 28, 2020
The easy answer to that question is because it is, but so is yours. We each are so beautifully, uniquely one of a kind. A precious and irreplaceable jewel. As an exquisite priceless jewel there is nothing you can do to increase or decrease your value. You are gorgeous...
by Barbara | Jan 15, 2019
Have you ever put much thought into the passage in Genesis, “God created man in his image, in the divine image He created him, male and female he created them”? I recently gave a talk to the women and teens of our youth ministry program about this very passage. As I...
by Barbara | Dec 29, 2018
My work predominately involves the preparation of men and women for marriage in the Catholic Church, as well as listening to those who are struggling within their marriage. This gives me a particular perspective on some of the common communication struggles that can...
by Barbara | Dec 29, 2018
This piece serves as a follow up from my previous article entitled, “What Wives Want Their Husbands to Know.” While these articles are in no way exhaustive, they are common stumbling blocks I encounter in my work in marriage ministry. Both in the preparation side and...
by Barbara | Oct 28, 2018
What is it about we humans wherein we want diamonds, but we settle for broken glass? We see this in many areas of our life; jobs, exercise, and relationships to name a few. We want good things for ourselves, meaningful work, a sleek rock-hard body, a learned mind, a...
by Barbara | Jun 21, 2018
In my work preparing engaged couples for marriage, I find myself pondering what might have been different for us, if my husband and I would have been required to take the same prep that is currently offered in the Diocese of Phoenix. While we were married in Phoenix...