Years ago my sister found herself explaining death to her young son. She tried to present the startling truths in a reassuring fashion. “Well, honey, everyone...
Practicing Catholic
Practicing Catholic essays explore Catholic spiritual practices, from lectio divina to washing dishes, through personal reflections on prayer and ritual.
A few years ago, on an incongruously cushy tour bus with plentiful opportunities for shopping, I made a pilgrimage to Assisi. We had Mass every day and visited...
Opportunities for spiritual growth—even contemplation—can occur almost anywhere, at any time. St. Ignatius of Loyola speaks about finding God in all things...
The first time I heard the phrase “custody of the eyes,” I was not much older than 6 or 7. I was sitting beside my mom during Mass with her arm draped over my...
When seen with eyes of faith, calendars help us keep time with Christ. More than any particular element of Catholic spirituality, the church’s calendar...
Suffering meets consolation in the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. For the sake of his sorrowful passion . . . It was 3 p.m. and it was time...
Catholics are less than two percent of the population of Norway, and there are only nine priests in our diocese. That means one does not have much choice of...
Where is the hope in Lent? Isn’t Lent about dying?” I could feel the tension as our RCIA conversation shifted from Christmas to Easter. We were talking about...
My introduction to being a lector came through the invitation of another parish minister—not the pastor or another lector but the choir director. She...
Six years ago, I was at a Fourth of July party when a woman I know handed me a photocopied sheet. “I’m asking everyone to pray this novena for my fiancé’s...
