Category Archives: Uncategorized

Recently I was talking to my brother, who is in his last semester of college, about transition and change that comes after college graduation.  He’s actively involved in Catholic campus ministry and is not looking forward to that ending.  I remember being in that same boat.  You can’t really prepare for the transition from campusContinue reading “Welcoming Others”

About two weeks ago, when I was at work and it was approaching 5:00 PM, looking out the window, I noticed that it was not pitch black at that time, like it had been for weeks before.  It was a little bit lighter outside.  I don’t know if it was the first day that 5:00Continue reading “The Smallest Bit of Light”

Last week at work, someone I work with used a swear word when talking about something to our team, then quickly apologized to just me for her language.  Co-workers have often shared with me their amazement at how I never swear and almost every time one of them uses that kind of language around me,Continue reading “Words Matter”

About once a month at work, I spend the day working at one of our interim housing sites (shelters).  Most of the office staff are assigned one day each month in order to help cover the hours of the normal work day, before the housing staff members come in to cover their evening and overnightContinue reading “In the Midst of the Ordinary”

In today’s Gospel (1/12), we read about the call of the first disciples.  The one part that caught my attention when reading the passage is, “Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).  These words from Jesus have two parts.  Jesus asks His disciples to followContinue reading “Come After Me”

In today’s (1/6) Gospel passage from Mark, we read about the miracle of Jesus feeding 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. There are a lot of messages we can get from this passage. Just as Jesus takes the small amount of food and multiplies it, He can do the same in ourContinue reading “Multiplying our Offerings”

Recently, an extended family member greeted me by confidently saying, “Hi, Abbey!  Merry Christmas!”  This wasn’t the first time this family member called me by my sister’s name.  As this family member has been part of the family for more than 28 years, since before I was born, it seems kind of strange to getContinue reading “The Power of a Name”

The Christmas season is always a beautiful time in the Church. The 4:00 PM Christmas Eve mass I attended was full, which is always a great sight to see. The birth of Jesus is one of the most significant events in history and one of the most important parts of our faith. If we trulyContinue reading “Christ the King”

On Sunday morning, I was at mass at a church in North Carolina.  I arrived 20 minutes early and the parking lot was already filling up.  By the time mass was going to start, the church, which can seat 750 people, was full.  It was to the point that ushers were walking around finding spaceContinue reading “A Deep Inner State”

Winter is in full swing here in Wisconsin.  And that means cold and snow.  I will quickly admit that winter is not my favorite season.  I prefer warmth and sunshine and enjoy the heat of summer, which is always much too short.  Winter brings slippery roads, getting stuck, and shoveling.  But the long winters weContinue reading “Like a Snowfall”