Giveaway

June 26, Same-Sex Marriage and St. Josemaría Escrivá

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June 26. My birthday. June 26. St. Josemaría Escrivá’s feast day. June 26. A landmark day for Supreme Court rulings on same-sex cases. June 26, 2003: the United States Supreme Court declared a Texas law unconstitutional that made it a crime for two persons of the same-sex to engage in intimate sexual conduct. June 26, … [Read more…]

The Vocation of Dusting (+ a birthday giveaway!)

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“Dusting is important for saving the world.” ~ Leila Lawler & Elizabeth Foss Dusting? Dusting. That was the quote from the Chapter 3 Summer in the Little Oratory podcast that most caught my attention. And it also brought back to mind a story filed away in my to-blog-about-one-day folder. Finally, a reason to talk about DUSTING! The story … [Read more…]

Take 5 with Lino Rulli (and Win a Copy of His New Book)

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Lino Rulli is just plain funny. So funny, in fact, that he almost runs the risk of not being taken seriously. However, in his latest book of humorous anecdotes and thoughtful reflections, he engages and entertains, yet enlightens and evangelizes. I recently welcomed the opportunity to interview Lino about Saint, and he didn’t disappoint. Following the interview, learn how to win a free copy of the book.

“Secrets” of the Singing Dominican Sisters

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The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Here was the plan.

Last Tuesday morning I was scheduled to interview Sister Maria Suso with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. You may recognize the sisters from their multiple interviews on The Oprah Winfrey show or maybe even from The American Bible Challenge hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. Locally, our Des Moines readers might make the connection that Miss Laura Downey, now Sister Mary Esther, made her solemn profession of vows with the Dominican Sisters of Mary.

Well, here’s what happened …

Me Time, Jesus Time and Tips from Vinny Flynn

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One might think that when a man is called to deacon formation, the journey leads him and his family closer to Jesus and His Church. True enough. However, the demands of this journey have provided a plethora of opportunities for our family to get really good (read, bad) at being busy. Many of the spiritually strengthening devotional practices that were once a regular part of my life have given way to the all-consuming formation process. I’m running around performing acts of service like Martha yet still feeling hungry for something deeper.

It all came to a head one recent evening while eating dinner with my family — a fist pounding on the table and tears streaming down my cheeks kind of encounter. At that point, Joel insisted it was time to walk away from the diaconate, if only to get me OFF. THE. LEDGE!

Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious — You Are a Beloved Daughter of God

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A few months after my dad passed away, I was hustling through Walgreens to buy a pair of pantyhose. I had to be present at an event about that minute, and of course every last pair of hose I owned had holes in places too obvious to ignore. The neighborhood Walgreens and their it’ll-get-the-job-done brand of hosiery saved me once again. As I hurried to get out of the store, a man approached me from behind and said, “Hey, how are you?” I turned around and the man then replied, “Oh, I thought you were my daughter. You look a lot like her. Sorry to bother you.”