BIS Reads // Theology of Home II
When my oldest son turned two, I made him a three-car train cake out of banana breads baked in different-sized rectangular loaf pans. I even carved out a space for a Teddy Graham conductor in the engine. As I was…
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61 Minutes to a Miracle Book Review
Many of us probably don’t think twice when we use the term “miracle” in everyday life. We call the 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal a miracle. Buddy the elf tells Jovie she looks “miraculous” when they go on…
What are Mass Cards?
On our baptismal days, my husband, my kids, and I know what to expect from my mother- and father-in-law: a card-sized white envelope, our names written on the outside in my mother-in-law’s naturally calligraphic hand. Within is the same card…
BIS Reads: Come, Be My Light
One of the beautiful things about being a millennial is that I have never known a world without Mother Teresa. I didn’t know much about her when I was a child, but I knew she took care of poor people…
BIS Reads: Be Brave in the Scared
If there’s one word I’d use to describe Mary Lenaburg’s writing, it would be “free.” In her social media presence, in her devotions, she is authentic, honest, unafraid of the dark places in life, and totally committed to embracing and…
The Significance of the Angelus
Ever hear bells ringing at your church in the morning, at noon, or in the evening, and wonder why? In a time before smart phones and fitness-tracking watches, the bells served as a call to stop what you were doing…
The Catholic All Year Compendium Review
The phrase “liturgically correct” is one of my favorites in the English language. I like how it looks, how it sounds, and what it means; that is, roughly, “in line with the Church.” I strive to live a life and…
Only for Today: The Daily Decalogue of Pope St. John XXIII
It’s no secret that our church is in the midst of troubled times. As the initial waves of grief, rage, sorrow, and more with the revelation of the sexual abuse crisis have passed, painful feelings linger. Some of us are…
Mystery and Manners Review
It’s often said that Flannery O’Connor is one of, if not the best Catholic writer of the twentieth century. In her thirty-nine years before dying of lupus, she published two novels, thirty-two short stories, and a number of essays and…
The Holiness and Example of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin
One of the things I love about the Catholic Church is that she is both old and new at the same time. The tradition of the Church is 2,000 years old, and yet it’s still relevant and still being expanded…
Release + Renew
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it…
Making Holy Week New
Tomorrow, we enter into the holiest week of the Church’s year. If you experienced God’s love and mercy in a new and powerful way this Lent, Holy Week may be something you’re looking forward to. But maybe you struggled to…
