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The Blessed is She Blog

Weeding the Garden of My Soul - Blessed Is She

Weeding the Garden of My Soul

Last spring, my husband and I invested in a new backyard. Once a meadow of unruly weeds and improperly pruned trees, our yard was transformed into our personal paradise. It...
How the Fear of Hell Made Me Want to Be Holy - Blessed Is She

How the Fear of Hell Made Me Want to Be Holy

It constantly happens that the Lord permits a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler, when it is honest, and realizes what it has done, and returns, it...
How to Find a Spiritual Director - Blessed Is She

How to Find a Spiritual Director

I’m a member of a large Blessed is She regional Facebook group. Questions related to spiritual direction often arise there. Women ask about how to find a director, seek recommendations...
Our Family Secret: Addiction and Shame - Blessed Is She

Our Family Secret: Addiction and Shame

One Wednesday night, my husband and I attended a class that Catholic Charities hosted at our parish about family stress. We sat in a partially-filled room as the topic of...
Making Holy Week New - Blessed Is She

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...
The Healing Power of Confession in My Life - Blessed Is She

The Healing Power of Confession in My Life

To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well,...
How to Go to Confession (and a Printable Examination of Conscience for Women) - Blessed Is She

How to Go to Confession (and a Printable Examination of Conscience for Women)

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great gift to Catholics. But sometimes we don't avail ourselves of this grace as much as we should. Sometimes fear or uncertainty keep us...
Scrupulosity: When Catholic Guilt Goes Wrong - Blessed Is She

Scrupulosity: When Catholic Guilt Goes Wrong

The word scrupulous is usually used to describe someone who is extremely thorough and attentive to detail. It’s meant to be a compliment. However, for many Catholics, being scrupulous is...
Sweet and Sour Chicken Confessions - Blessed Is She

Sweet and Sour Chicken Confessions

My affection for sweet and sour chicken did not begin until a few years ago. In simpler times, I preferred macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, and the occasional peanut butter...
Finding Forgiveness: A Guide to Confession - Blessed Is She

Finding Forgiveness: A Guide to Confession

Like many Catholics I know, I had not gone to the Sacrament of Confession for a number of years. The Catholic Church recommends we go at least once a year...