Here is another one of my assignments I wrote in 2020 for my Spiritual Classics course. Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was a Benedictine abbess, visionary, composer, and writer. She recorded mystical visions, composed sacred music, and wrote on theology, nature, and medicine. Canonized and named a Doctor of the Church, she is remembered as one…

This month I’m going to continue sharing from reflections I wrote in 2020 for the Spiritual Classics course I took while studying to be certified as a spiritual director. We read You Set My Spirit Free: A 40-Day Journey in the Company of John of the Cross. St. John of the Cross (1542–1591) was a…

  I marvel at how God has designed the rhythm of the four seasons where we live in Arkansas— a state affectionately called “God’s country.” With each season, God invites us to both an end and a beginning. Like many of you, I enjoy approaching the summer season with plans of finishing certain activities and…

“No eye has seen nor ear has heard nor mind has even conceived what God has in store for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:19 quoting Isaiah 64:4) What blessings the traditional liturgical season has offered us of late: Eastertide, followed by Pentecost, and the month of June’s focus on the Sacred Heart of…

“No eye has seen nor ear has heard nor mind has even conceived what God has in store for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:19) Many of us have spent the last forty days of Lent meditating on Christ’s humiliations, meekness, and unwearied perseverance.  We have followed the way of the cross to new…

“Therefore, I am now going to allure her. I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” (Hosea 2:14) This Scripture passage from the Old Testament book of the prophet Hosea has always beckoned me, drawn me in, and given me comfort. It comes to mind as we are now deep into the…

March is upon us and my husband and I have just returned from a lovely visit to California where we spent precious time with both of our grandsons and their parents. My heart is so full. In a session with my spiritual director before leaving on this trip, she commented to me: “take nothing with…

A new year—2025. In the Catholic faith, this is to be a year of Jubilee. The theme for the 2025 Jubilee year is “Pilgrims of Hope” —a year of forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope. It is a rite seen only once every 25 years. I’m still pondering and praying about what my word of the year…

This month I am borrowing from Joyce Rupp’s December newsletter: Henri Nouwen asked his readers a vital question: “Is there a quiet stream underneath the fluctuating affirmations and rejections of my little world? Is there a still point where my life is anchored and from which I can reach out with hope and courage and…

This month I’m re-posting a piece I wrote in November, 2022. It’s a reminder to embrace God’s will and grow in love. I need this reminder and I thought you might too. Fall has come upon us. A carpet of leaves covers the ground in my backyard. The sun casts new shadows. There is a…