Ten Reasons Why I Love Lent It may seem strange to say that I love a season of repentance, but in fact, I look forward to Lent every year with great enthusiasm. After all, it's a time when the rubber really hits the road for Catholics, as we put aside excuses and get serious about [...]
Since childhood, I’ve been trying to “get Lent right.” As a chubby child who was always on a diet, Lent struck me as another in a long list of no-no’s when it came to the treats I dearly craved. As an adult, I’ve become very familiar with some typical approaches to Lent, which unfortunately tend to [...]
Many Catholics would be eager to be given an all-expenses-paid trip to Lourdes, but there are some who might decline. After all, not everyone is keen on overseas travel, not to mention the huge crowds that gather there. And as the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes approaches, I find myself wondering what I would [...]
In the beginning there were paper bags. Shoppers used them without thinking much about it. Kids turned them into makeshift covers for school books. Then someone invented plastic bags, and soon a question arose during each shopping expedition: “Paper or plastic?” Shoppers who wanted to help Mother Earth insisted on paper and felt rather virtuous since [...]
If I see one more “girrl” on TV, I swear I’m going to scream. In case you don’t know, a “girrl” is a female who is proficient in the martial arts, who carries a gun at all times, and who is stronger and more courageous than any man around. Backed into a corner, she doesn’t go [...]
Here’s the question of the day: Are you ready for Christmas? As for me, I still have three-million-and-one things to do, but still I am looking forward with great anticipation to the big day. After all, when it comes to Christmas, what’s not to like? There’s that whole jolliness thing with eggnog, cookies and the giggling [...]
Lorraine! Yes, Lord? What’s that you’re so busy with? Me? Oh, I’m checking Facebook, Lord, that’s all. Didn’t you say the other day that you thought that was a waste of time? Uh, yeah, I guess I did. What are you going to do after you check Facebook? I have a column to write, but I’m, [...]
Our nephew, Noah, 8, has a real thing about Santa. Last year he was thrilled when he and his mom had breakfast with Santa at the zoo in their hometown. The photos tell the tale. The first shows Noah with a look of ecstasy on his face as he perches on Santa’s lap, explaining in careful [...]
As my husband hauled her out of the box, I flinched just a bit. She was much larger than I had envisioned. "Do we really want something that big in the front yard?" I queried nervously.. He brushed her off tenderly while glancing at me with a puzzled expression. “I thought she’d be just right,” he [...]
I was thrilled to hear about the British bishops bringing back the fish-on-Friday rule for Catholics, and I wish the American bishops would follow suit. Forgoing burgers and chicken—and don't forget pepperoni pizza—on Friday was something that defined Catholics in my childhood. And frankly, I know very few people who took on some other weekly sacrifice [...]
