Author Archives: kmwanek

Advent has finally begun.  That means it’s basically Christmas already, right?  Well, not so fast.  Thinking about this new liturgical season, I started reflecting on past years.  Reflecting on my preparation during Advent in previous years, I realize that my efforts were quite weak.  I usually had good intentions but found that the season passedContinue reading “Preparing Our Hearts”

Driving home from work a few days ago it was completely dark.  Out of nowhere and rather suddenly, there was a big truck driving behind me.  The only reason I paid much attention to this truck was because its headlights were so intense and bright that they were shining onto my mirrors.  This intense lightContinue reading “This Little Light”

Everyone wants to experience peace.  You have probably heard it said before in remarks such as this;  “Once this happens or when this changes, I will be at peace.”  This is a nice sentiment but it only goes to show that the world does not understand true peace.  It is in scripture that we canContinue reading “Not as the World Gives”

This weekend during Mass, there was a comment made that I found to be a little unsettling.  The remark was “since we have a baptism, my words on today’s Gospel will be brief.  The liturgy is long enough.  It’s a beautiful day outside and we’d hate to spoil it in church” or something along thoseContinue reading “Encounter”

As we get ready to head to the polls Tuesday and await the results of the 2020 election, I can’t help but think back to the 2016 election and all that followed.  I will never forget the day after the election and what I experienced.  I was a sophomore in college.  Walking into my PublicContinue reading “Life Will Carry On”

Let’s talk about truth.  In the world we live in, truth has been crumpled up and thrown out the window.  We live in a culture of moral relativism.  If someone believes something that is contradictory to the truth, we dare not say anything unless we want to be labeled as “bigoted or hateful.”  We areContinue reading “The Hard Truth”

Yesterday, I was looking back at previous pages in a journal, reading over notes I had taken during the talks at the SEEK 2019 Conference. (SEEK is a conference put on by FOCUS where thousands of college students from all over the country come together to pray, worship, and listen to nationally known Catholic speakers.)Continue reading “Showing Up”

Whenever work is really hectic and things get crazy, I always think about how grateful I am that I do not have to do everything alone.  There is a team of people working together to get various tasks and projects done.  A normal day involves everyone filling in their part.  Some days you give moreContinue reading “We Need Each Other”

Are you happy?  This is a question that we are often bombarded with on a regular basis.  Everyone wants the people they care about to be happy and they want to be happy themselves. Being happy is great, but there is something better.  That something is joy.  When looking at happiness and joy side byContinue reading “Got Joy?”

I recently signed up for a 5k run, the ‘Hope isn’t Canceled Run.’  I love the theme that the organizers came up with.  In the times we’re in, we need this message now more than ever.  Countless events over the past several months have been canceled.  A lot of our normal, everyday life has beenContinue reading “Hope Isn’t Canceled”