Posts by srkathleen
Prayer in Time of Need
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoRBAOY_yf4 Click on this link and you will see me interviewed about my latest novel, Book of Ruth: A Tale of Great Loves. ) This past week two sources introduced me to a new way to pray: a book by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser (Forgotten among the Lilies) and a TV broadcast by Dr. Charles Stanley…
Read MoreConquering the Vocation Crisis
It’s no secret that the number of priests and consecrated religious in the Catholic Church is in free fall. A sad 20% of parishes have no resident pastor. Today there are about a quarter of the religious sisters that there were in the 1960s. The words of Jesus can hardly be more relevant: “The harvest…
Read MoreLoyalty and Faithfulness: Ruth, Naomi, God
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…
Read MoreInspired, Empowered by the Holy Spirit
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.…
Read MoreArt for Faith, Creating and Appreciating
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…
Read MorePresumed Guilty
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…
Read MoreGod Loves You…Unconditionally
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…
Read MoreModern Penance: Lemons into Lemonade
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…
Read MoreWhat Did Jesus Look Like?
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…
Read MoreJoy, a Gift from God
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…
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