Your Family—the Holy Spirit’s Greenhouse
It’s where the fruit of the Spirit is meant to grow.
Every summer my Aunt Minnie planted a big garden and enlisted me to help water and weed it. As soon as the ground defrosted in western Pennsylvania, she scattered seeds that would yield beans, lettuce, pumpkins, and other vegetables. As summer approached, Aunt Minnie put in her tomatoes. Continue »
The Power of a Praying Son
The Spirit showed me how to pray and what to say.
Dad had essentially been unemployed for about ten years. He had jobs here and there in our hometown of Stafford, England, but they never worked out. Continue »
Seven Weeks of Easter
Fifty Ways to Keep the Joy Alive
Easter is the most important feast of the Christian year—so important that the church sets aside a full fifty days to celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death. Not many of us are used to sustaining an “Easter spirit” of celebration all the way to Pentecost, though, so here are fifty easy suggestions. Continue »
A Lesson about Lent
Sometimes it takes a child to show us what really matters.
In Minnesota, where I live, Lent comes at just the right time for penance. February and March are the dreariest months of the year. Continue »
The Sin Basket
A family’s faults go up in smoke.
I love Lent. It’s no secret. My family knows it, my friends know it, anyone who has any communication with me during this season of unburdening knows it. Continue »
A Universal Call to Party
Celebrate your Baptism—your re-birthday in Christ!
My kids seem to love their faith. And why not? The church packs the calendar with dozens of reasons to party. To our family’s way of thinking, “practicing Catholics” are those who celebrate the most. Continue »