Author Archives: kmwanek

How often do we have experiences that we perceive as coincidences?  The times where we think to ourselves, “wow, what are the chances?” or “did that really just happen?”.  The situations and happenings that seem random and like mere coincidences can be seen as something more when we have faith.  The greater the faith weContinue reading “Revealing His Goodness”

I’ve always liked envisioning an image of the desert.  It is a place that is warm, quiet, and probably pretty empty.  A space so different compared to the full and fast-paced environment we live in.  A place with no distractions and where we can hear more clearly.  A place that is still.  While we mayContinue reading “Going into the Desert”

Once a month, the 7th through 11th grade religious ed students start off the class period with eucharistic adoration, usually just for 15 minutes.  Every third week of the month, my 8th grade class, without fail, has rattled off a list of complaints before we head over to the church and also afterwards, once weContinue reading “A Choice to Make”

“Do not be afraid; just have faith” (Mark 5:36).  These words in Tuesday’s gospel that Jesus says to the synagogue official are words that he also says to us.  In our daily lives, there are many moments where we might be tempted to fear or worry about certain situations or about what is to come. Continue reading “Just Have Faith”

Last week, I spent the week at my sister and brother-in-law’s house in North Carolina and met my now three-week old nephew.  As I held him, and watched him, I was filled with so much love and gratitude for this new, precious and small  life.  As I spent time with him, I saw the workContinue reading “Unconditionally Pro-Life”

Nine years ago, as of yesterday, I received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Some pictures from that night popped up in my facebook memories and caused me to think about the sacrament.  As I look back and reflect on the years since, I recognize just how significant and important that special evening was and how muchContinue reading “The Mission We’ve Been Given”

Who doesn’t love babies?  So small, precious, innocent, and helpless, it is so easy to love them.  Babies cannot do anything for us or for themselves.  They don’t have to do anything to gain our love.  We don’t love them because of what they do or don’t do, we love them simply because of whoContinue reading “The Greatest Gift”

This time of the year is the busiest time for so many people.  From Christmas parties, baking, shopping, decorating, and everything else this season brings, people are constantly going places and partaking in endless activities.  In all these activities and events that we can fill our time with, there is a deep void within usContinue reading “Filling the Empty Spaces”

Back in July, I participated in something called the PIT count.  PIT stands for “Point-in-Time” and it is a count of both sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night.  HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) requires that this count be done every January, but Wisconsin also does it in July inContinue reading “Encountering Christ on the Streets”

A few days ago, I was reading an article about the physical effects of gratitude.  Among some of the many benefits of the practice of gratitude are lower levels of stress, lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and an increase in sleep quality.  At first, it seemed kind of crazy to me that something asContinue reading “Hearts Full of Gratitude”