Scripture loves the language of growth. Vines, branches, roots, seeds, soil—images that are alive, slow, and stubbornly organic. They remind us that God never hands us a detailed itinerary toward perfection. Instead, he offers something far more intimate: a glimpse into the ongoing work of the Creator and the quiet, recurring rhythms of our cooperation.
Continue reading “To Be Grounded”
I recently sat with someone who doesn’t believe in God. What he does believe in is the ache inside him, the heaviness of not knowing what to do with the heaviness of the world. He seemed paralyzed, like he was in a fog with no map, no compass, and no voice to guide him.
And honestly, who hasn’t felt that way at some point.
Continue reading “When You Don’t Know What to Do”
Psalm 93 invites us to stand before a God whose majesty is not distant, but deeply personal. “The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed.” His strength steadies the world, His voice rises above the roar of the waters, and His presence remains firm from all eternity. Yet this same God desires to dwell within the fragile, shifting places of our own hearts.
Continue reading “Letting Christ Clothe Our Heart”
There is a quiet promise woven through Scripture: “You shall seek the Lord your God, and you shall indeed find him when you search after him with your whole heart and your whole soul.” That line from Deuteronomy has always struck me as both a command and a consolation. God does not hide. God invites. And faith, true, living faith, leans forward in response.
Continue reading “Faith Seeks to Know”
Every so often, a line of spiritual writing doesn’t just inspire—it pierces. It finds the hidden place inside us where longing and fear and hope all live together, and it speaks directly into that space with a tenderness we didn’t know we needed. That’s what happened for me when I sat with the words of Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity’s meditation “Made Clean by Christ’s Love” in the Magnificat. Especially the image of Jesus saying, “Rejoice because you are my beloved… there is nothing between you and me.”
Continue reading “Made Clean by Christ’s Love”
Advent is a season of waiting, of longing, of preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. In the quiet rhythm of prayer, two petitions from the Liturgy of the Hours have struck me with fresh urgency:
“Bring low the mountains of our pride,
— and fill up the valleys of our weakness.
Lord, may your kingdom come.”
“Break down the wall of hatred that divides the nations,
— and make level for mankind the paths to peace.
Lord, may your kingdom come.”
Advent begins with hope—the quiet, steady light that faith ignites in the darkness. Hope is not wishful thinking; it is the assurance that God’s word is enough. In this season, we remember that Christ came as a child, vulnerable yet victorious, and we wait with confidence that He will come again. Faith gives birth to hope, and hope sustains us in prayer, even when the world feels uncertain.
Continue reading “Advent Hope Rooted in Faith”
There are days I wonder: Do I really have faith?
Not because I’ve stopped believing, but because I don’t always feel it.
The purpose of the Holy Mass is to glorify God and sanctify the world. As kingdom priests, we are called to unite our hearts and minds with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are not passive observers—we hold a sacred role.
Smitten With Goodness 