Author Archives: kmwanek

During this time of year, we hear so often that it’s not a season of receiving, but of giving.  The general message during these weeks before Christmas is that we shouldn’t be concerned with what we might receive, but rather with what and how we can give.  And these ideas are true, when we areContinue reading “A Time of Receiving”

“I’m praying for you” is simultaneously one of the most powerful and beautiful sentences we can say to another person.  As the Body of Christ, we have the ability and responsibility to pray for others.  And there is a lot of power in that. There’s a passage from a book I read sometime last yearContinue reading “Power in Prayer”

Last Wednesday I went to mass at a nearby parish for Thanksgiving.  I arrived a little more than ten minutes before mass started.  I was glad to arrive a bit early, so I could spend the time before mass, praying, reflecting, and enjoying the quiet, especially after a long day of work before the longContinue reading “Just Listen”

It seems like a lot of Americans have a sort of fascination with the royal family.  Many people are intrigued by and invested in the lives of those in line of succession to the British throne.  I think one of the main reasons for this interest in the royal family is that we don’t haveContinue reading “King of the Universe”

This past Saturday, I attended a young adult Catholic conference in Milwaukee.  It was only a one day conference that lasted 12 hours but it was so impactful.  It was one of those experiences that was very refreshing and much needed.  One of the speakers in one of the sessions spoke about how we oftenContinue reading “Hit with Reality”

At work on Monday, I was so focused on my computer and the emails and tasks I was working on that I didn’t even notice how dark it had gotten when 5:00 PM hit and it was time to leave.  It seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was only because I hadn’t noticedContinue reading “Noticing the Darkness”

In a podcast of a homily I listened to a few days ago, the priest was discussing how there are two different relationships that cannot have any rivals, one being marriage and the other being a relationship with Jesus.  The way Fr. Mike defined rivals to demonstrate his point is “a person or a thingContinue reading “The Rivals in our Lives”

I used to hate driving on interstates/highways.  I would avoid taking routes that required big highway roads as much as possible, because multiple lanes, merging, faster moving vehicles, exit signs, and a lot of traffic were things that I did not want to deal with.  I would always go through town, even if that meantContinue reading “The Best Route”

We’ve all heard the parable of the prodigal son countless times.  In a book I started reading, the author brought up this story to demonstrate a point about trust.  She explained that neither son truly knew their father.  The younger son thought he had lost his father’s love due to leaving and disobeying him.  TheContinue reading “Love that Can’t be Earned”

I recently listened to a homily from Fr. Mike Schmitz where he talked about how comfort breeds complacency.  This is something we’ve probably all heard before.  However, when it comes to our spiritual lives, it can be so easy to fall into this way of living without thinking too much of it.  When we areContinue reading “Rejecting Complacency”