We Are What We Eat

Last night my dinner was a big bowl of French onion soup. When I got up today, I said “good morning.” But I expected “Bonjour!” When receiving Holy Communion, we become what we eat—the Body of Christ. How is it that through the course of the day my words do not always sound like the…

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What We Love We Resemble

St. Bernard said, “What we love we shall grow to resemble.” Saint Clare of Assisi said the same: “We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.” Perhaps this is the reason why married couples sometimes look like each other over the years. Do you love God? Are you looking more…

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A Hole in My Sock

Today I noticed a hole in my sock. My first response? “Oh, darn!” Now don’t think I started looking for needle and thread. Sewing and I are polar opposites. There is nothing in me that would give me even the slightest inclination to sew. Now I do have a coloring book page (not colored by…

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My Most Wonderful Friends

Blessed Fulton J. Sheen wrote, “Books are the most wonderful friends in the world. When you meet them and pick them up, they are always ready to give you a few ideas. When you put them down, they never get mad; when you take them up again, they seem to enrich you all the more.”…

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Sacramental to the Core

In January we celebrate the birthdays of our foundresses–Sister Maria Aloysia (Hilligonde Wolbring) on January 9 and Sister Maria Ignatia (Elizabeth Kühling) on January 10. Both were teachers who also took care of orphans and eventually began the congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame—my congregation. In her endearing way, Sister Maria Aloysia wrote to…

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The Littlest Shepherd

My friend told me about children preparing for a Christmas play before the earliest Mass on Christmas Eve—usually called the “Children’s Mass.” The children put their coats in the last pew and donned the attire of shepherds and kings. One tiny shepherd slipped away from his classmates and went down the aisle to kneel before…

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The Christmas Rosary Mysteries

Have you ever created your own rosary mysteries from Scripture stories not included or only partially alluded to the regular sets of mysteries: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, Glorious? I like to meditate on the Christmas mysteries and assign a decade to certain persons or events from the Christmas narratives in Matthew and Luke. The five decades…

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‘Tis the Season for “Hallmark”

Are you binge watching Hallmark movies? Are predictable tear-jerkers a way to relax after a day of frantic Christmas shopping? Are the movies a welcome relief from news channels? Do you find relief from Hallmark after reading the Church’s lectionary readings? What? What! In late November and some days in December the Church sets before…

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