srkathleen – Catholic Faith Corner

Immigration, infertility, fidelity, and catastrophes that make one question God—all these are threads woven through the tale of Ruth. They make this book in Scripture (God’s word to us) a book for today. The following words of commitment are incorporated in some wedding ceremonies: “Wherever you go, I will go; where you will lodge, I…

Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, was the President of Notre Dame University for 35 years. He was also involved in myriad government, international, and Church projects. One day someone asked him, “So, how’d you do it all?” Fr. Hesburgh replied, “Every morning, I pray, ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ … and away we go.” I love that story.…

This week my book Jumbo Book of Art Ideas for school and home was published. It contains directions for over 300 art projects, many of them accompanied by beautiful samples created by my Sisters of Notre Dame—all in color. This prompts me to reflect this week on art’s role in fostering our faith. As you…

I just finished reading the book A Stone for a Pillow: Journeys with Jacob by Madeleine L’Engle, famous author of A Wrinkle in Time. This book based on the biblical story of Jacob is quite different. In it L’Engle weaves in many personal experiences. One in particular that she mentions several times was an unsettling…

Here is a very abridged chapter from my book, A Love Affair with God: Twelve Traits. It’s entitled “Presence.” When we love a person we long to be with them. Meister Eckhart asserted, “No human being has ever desired anything as much as God desires to be with him or her.” At the Last Supper…

Saints of old practiced what we would consider bizarre penances. St. Thomas More wore a hair shirt under his clothing. In pictures St. Rose of Lima has a crown of roses. She actually wore a thick silver circlet with spikes on the inside (like a crown of thorns). When I entered the convent, we were…

The other day a few of us were discussing how Jesus looked. Not surprisingly, our opinions differed. He lived 2,000 years ago before cameras were invented. And he was Jewish, which meant that images were forbidden. (The first commandment forbade idols.) Therefore we have no accurate picture of him. This has not stopped people from…

One of my most precious memories is pushing my four-year-old nephew in a wheelbarrow on a farm. He was laughing hysterically and this made me laugh. Life is full of joyful moments like that one. Reflecting on them warms the heart. We feel joy when someone does us a favor, when we accomplish a difficult…

This Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It fittingly occurs during June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart. To some people this title for Jesus smacks of times gone by. On the contrary, the concept of the Sacred Heart is relevant and meaningful. Take the idea of heart. To us,…

May ended with a bang: On May 31 we celebrated the Visitation and Memorial Day. At our Mass in the Notre Dame chapel, Father Jay wove together three events. He pointed out that Mary surrendered her life to God and this showed in her loving service to Elizabeth, our veterans gave their lives to serve…