Saint Francis and the Value of Poverty
I spent many of my formative years during college and beyond under the guidance of priests and brothers from a Franciscan community in New York City. On Friday mornings I...
Jacinta and Francisco // Models of Consolation and Reparation
In the room that I shared with my sister while we were growing up, we had a small, glow-in-the-dark statue of Our Lady of Fatima with three little children kneeling...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 15
“Give me a drink.” (John 4:7) These are the words of the Lord to us this day as we come to rest with Him and spend precious time with Him in prayer. He is the One who invites us to this rendezvous.
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 14
One might be tempted to think that it must have been easy for Mother Teresa to be united to the Lord. There were even occasions when “the Voice” (Come Be My Light, 85) spoke to her interiorly. Jesus communicated Himself in a very intimate way with her. If that was the case for us, we might argue, how easy things would be!
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 13
After my time as a missionary in a foreign country had come to an end and the convent life before that was already only a memory, I returned to the US with many questions and a lot to unload.
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 12
Mother Teresa spent hours each day in prayer before the start of her service to the poor and at the end of a long day. She did not use her work, immense physical labor, or fatigue as an excuse to forgo time with her Lover and Intimate Friend.
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 11
Most of us have seen some romantic comedies—whether as teenagers, in our hopeless college years, or perhaps even later on in life. Who doesn’t like a good, sappy romance movie...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 10
The first time I was “stopped in my tracks” by Mother Teresa was when I was a teenager. I sat next to my mom to watch a documentary about her...
Awaken Love: The 2023 Prayer Pledge // Day 9
Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her… And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you...
How to Live the Mass More Fully
What if we could live the Mass as our highest prayer no matter the circumstance? The stress from work, the drama with friends, the exams nearing at school, the list...
The Holy Name of Mary
I always had a problem with my name growing up. I wondered why my parents didn’t give me an easy-to-pronounce name. Rocio, although beautiful when pronounced rightly in Spanish, felt...
On Saint Bartholomew
In the tradition of the Church, Bartholomew and Nathaniel are the same person. Think of Nathaniel as his first name and Bartholomew as his last name, since it designates his...
