Decades ago, I read an insight by Jean Vanier, a Canadian Catholic philosopher and theologian, “You can be right. You can be dead right and bring death to everyone around you”. These words stripped bare my arrogance, profoundly affecting the way I expressed my faith to others and especially the way I wrote about the Catholic…… Continue reading Catholic Writers- How To Avoid Being Dead Right
Tag: Melanie Jean Juneau
Palm Sunday: God is in Charge
The Gospel reading for Palm Sunday is riveting (Matthew 26:14—27:66); it moves us through a gamut of emotions as we picture crowds adoring Christ as He enters Jerusalem, witness the Last Supper, watch Judas betray his friend, Peter deny his Lord, the trials, the crowds now roaring for Jesus’s death, and the agony of the…… Continue reading Palm Sunday: God is in Charge
Looking Death In The Eye
Exactly six years ago, I finally became cognizant of how thin the line between life and death really is when I nearly lost one of my daughters as she struggled to give birth. During labour, she almost bled out when she lost a litre of blood in mere seconds after an emergency C-section, the result…… Continue reading Looking Death In The Eye
The Negative Reactions to Pope Francis
Every time Pope Francis speaks, the papers are filled with sensational headlines; he does not emphasize many of the popular, hot issues like abortion and homosexuality, issues which often simply serve to divide voters into an us and them mentality. When did these issues become the only issue that concerns the Church? Yet when the…… Continue reading The Negative Reactions to Pope Francis
I Live With Mysteries
i live with mysteries now, content because… i am small finite, living in linear time on a flat plane of existence. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor? Romans 11:34 i wear dark coloured glasses with blinders while. peering at the world as if i were the centre…… Continue reading I Live With Mysteries
A Knight in Shining Armour
Do you find yourself waiting secretly for your knight in shining armour to whisk you off your feet so you can live happily ever after? Or for a wonderful woman to lift off your depression and sense of aimlessness? Although we laugh at such ridiculous fantasies as the stuff of naïve, lovesick teenagers, we all…… Continue reading A Knight in Shining Armour
Pope Francis: A Canary in a Coal Mine
Pope Francis is like a canary in the coal mine, identifying toxic trends in our society, then, offering hope as he suggests Christian solutions to family issues. The expression “a canary in the coal mine” refers to caged canaries miners would bring with them into mine tunnels. These birds were used in Britain right up until…… Continue reading Pope Francis: A Canary in a Coal Mine
Jesus is a Baby Whisperer
The best way to communicate with preverbal little people is to connect with their inner spirits, in with, and through God, because Jesus was an infant. Only I do not think He ever forgot what it was like to be a preverbal little being. When we approach babies in the presence of the Holy Spirit,…… Continue reading Jesus is a Baby Whisperer
Patron Saint of Missing Socks, Pray For Us
As a mother of a large family, struggling to wash, dry, and fold three or four loads of laundry every day, I secretly wondered if there was an obscure saint, with little to do, who could fill in as my patron saint of missing socks. Little did I know, God was using the dilemma of…… Continue reading Patron Saint of Missing Socks, Pray For Us
Our Biggest Delusion is Rooted in Our Ego
I am living in a fantastical delusion when I see myself as the centre of the universe, viewing everything as it circles around me. As believers, we sing and recite prayers that proclaim that God is the centre of all but our psychological make-up screams the exact opposite. I view people, events, history and yes…… Continue reading Our Biggest Delusion is Rooted in Our Ego
In a Crisis, I Found Refuge in Infused Prayer
In the midst of a family crisis, I found refuge in the words of the prayer Jesus gave us. When we are open to the Holy Spirit, the Father shines His purifying light on us. The process is often painful, though, because when the light of the Father comes into our hearts and lives, the…… Continue reading In a Crisis, I Found Refuge in Infused Prayer
Is It Truth or Sophistry?
Years ago, I was washing up some pots, just before dinner, when all of a sudden a word popped into my head, seemingly out of nowhere. I turned around and blurted out to my kids, who were doing homework around the kitchen table, “Sophistry! The word that keeps coming to me is sophistry.” Of course,…… Continue reading Is It Truth or Sophistry?
Lord, If This How You Treat Your Friends . . .
If you try to help a struggling butterfly emerge from the prison of his cocoon, his wings will be permanently deformed. As a butterfly struggles, fluid is forced into its wings so they stretch and open, allowing them to fly but butterflies are not the only creatures who must struggle before they have the ability…… Continue reading Lord, If This How You Treat Your Friends . . .
Children Know How To Play With God
feature image: Fritz von Uhde, Let the Infants come to me People, from infants to the elderly, thrive spiritually when they have enough free time to relax, create, and pray. We all need unscheduled time, time to be bored in a positive sense because boredom can the birthplace of authentic spirituality and creativity. Self- obsessed business…… Continue reading Children Know How To Play With God
Catholic Authors: Pray, Listen, Then Write
Some Catholic authors write as if they belong to a Church Beleaguered, not the Church Triumphant. Articles tend to be either defensive or angry attacks against adversaries. Many religious writers retreat, focusing only on like-minded souls, writing for a small, mutual admiration society. The rest are tempted to quit when it seems like the world is…… Continue reading Catholic Authors: Pray, Listen, Then Write
A Storyteller’s Guide to a Grace-Filled Life
In his new book, A Storyteller’s Guide to a Grace-Filled Life, Tony Agnesi connects with ordinary folks because he writes in a straightforward way, using everyday vocabulary in an authentic and down-to-earth voice. The resulting collection of 75 stories are not only appealing and charming, they pack a powerful punch, triggering self-reflection and a desire to grow in the…… Continue reading A Storyteller’s Guide to a Grace-Filled Life
Fr. Albert Macpherson, O.S.A.-“God, You Have Made Us For Yourself”
Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you; so lead us by your Spirit that in this life we may live to your glory and in the life to come enjoy you forever;- St. Augustine Over the years, I have attended many…… Continue reading Fr. Albert Macpherson, O.S.A.-“God, You Have Made Us For Yourself”
Man-Made Spirituality versus Communion With God
Attendance at Mass, regular confession, spiritual exercises, fasting, and prayer are wonderful vehicles of grace but if we think pious activities alone will sanctify us, we will only appear holy on the outside like the Pharisees: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,…… Continue reading Man-Made Spirituality versus Communion With God
Catholic Writers: Stand Up for the Truth in LOVE
The challenge is to witness to the validity of our Catholic spirituality with a mature love, without stooping to ridicule our Protestant brothers. It is God who converts and convicts; we are simply called to tell our stories and to pray. Then our sinfulness will not hinder any move of God I am proud to…… Continue reading Catholic Writers: Stand Up for the Truth in LOVE
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