July’s saint may have a funny name but let me tell you, Saint Olha (890 – 969) was no joke. Just ask the Drevlians. They murdered her husband so she murdered them — 5,000 of them. Mafia style. That was before her conversion to Christianity. Olha, whose feast day is July 11, was a Viking […]
Saint Olha: Mafia Godmother Read More »
How do these conversations get started? My seatmate on the flight was a sixteen year old cowboy named Cody. The flight attendant had come around handing out wine which I accepted with delight. Traveling stresses me out. Cody, who looked twenty-five, said no thanks. “I don’t drink,” he told me. “I’m a Christian.” “I do,”
So, What Exactly ARE Your Sins? Let’s Talk Catholic Confession Read More »
We all have our plans but God has his. Read about St. Patapius, an early Christian hermit gathered crowds wherever he went and became a reluctant celebrity. It always happens. You go off to be by yourself and the kids find you. You just want to pray and savor the silence but it’s, “Can you
Saint Patapius: Early Christian Hermit and Reluctant Celebrity Read More »
I love being middle aged. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t love the mousy gray hair which loiters at my temples, even though Miss Clairol and I kick it out every ten weeks. I don’t love my matching set of grandma hands – why oh why didn’t I soak my hands in Ivory dish detergent
Why I Love Middle Age Read More »
Some spiritual works of mercy are more popular than others. “Comfort the Sorrowful” and “Counsel the Doubtful,” for example, have their own line of greeting cards with flowers and small, fuzzy animals on them. People buy them by the millions. But then there’s “Admonish the Sinner.” Has anybody bothered testing the market for this one?
Admonish the Sinner: An Unpopular Mercy Read More »