Date: Saturday of the 34 th  Week in Ordinary Time Scripture Text:   Daniel 3:82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87 R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him. "You sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him. "O Israel, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give glory and eternal prai

This weekend we begin the beautiful season of Advent. It is a time of hopeful anticipation. It is a time of preparation. It is a time of adding lights as our natural light decreases. It is a time marked with festivities, holiday parties, gift searching and gift giving. But most of all, it is a spiritual time, a time to recognize that while we are physical, emotional, and intellectual, we are most essentially spiritual. It is a time to welcome our Savior as we remember that fi

Date: Friday of the 34 th  Week in Ordinary Time Scripture Text:   Daniel 3:75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him! "Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him! "Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him! "You springs, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give

Today, I want to thank all of you for reading the blogs and daily scripture and reflections. When I began the website in 2022, I wasn’t sure where it would take me. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that it wasn’t where it would take me, it was those who would accompany me on the journey. And that’s you. Thank you.   I thank you for your support and your interest. I thank you for your feedback. I treasure the comments. I thank you for the “likes” because it reminds me

Date: Thanksgiving Scripture Text:   1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Brothers and sisters: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jes

This week reminds me that the greatest gifts aren’t what we have but who we have. This week, on the 24 th , I celebrated the birth of two of my children who have forever changed my life. And this week I also remember the loss of my sister, Betty, on the 21 st , and my father on the 23 rd , two people whose love remains within the texture of my being.  This week, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, I give thanks for all four as well as for all the members of my family. Family and fr

Date: Wednesday of the 34 th  Week in Ordinary Time Scripture Text:   Daniel 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eter

This weekend, as I was making an early Thanksgiving dinner for the family, I burnt my hand. As I quickly drew my hand back, I told myself, “Don’t do that again!” I’d made a mistake in my rush, but a moment later, I wasn’t defeated. No, I was smarter. Mistakes aren’t the end, they are learning moments.   As a child, I climbed trees. Trust me, my first attempts weren’t pretty. But with every tumble or slip, I learned. I got smarter about which branches to use for leverage, I go

Date: Tuesday of the 34 th  Week in Ordinary Time Scripture Text:   Daniel 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61 R. (59b)  Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give glory and eternal praise to him. "You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever." R.  Give glory and

Yesterday, my family celebrated our Thanksgiving early. There were 17 of us ranging in age from 13 to 78. They came from Sun Prairie and Edgerton, Milwaukee and the west side of Madison, and Oshkosh. They brought the stuffing, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, gourmet dips and pretzels, pumpkin pie, Rice Krispie bars, ice cream, rolls, corn bread muffins, and King Hawaiian rolls. I provided the space, roasted the turkey, made the traditional green bean casserole and gravy. An

Date: Memorial of Saint Andrew Dŭng-Lạc, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs Scripture Text:   Luke 21:1-4 When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."     Breaking the text open

Date: Solemnity of our Lord, Christ the King Scripture Text:   Colossians 1:12-20 Brothers and sisters: Let us give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven an

She was going through the neighborhood alerting homeowners to possible changes if the golf course was sold and re-zoned for residential. When she made it to my door, I invited her in because it was cold and windy outside. She asked my husband and I how we felt about the suggested development. She wrote all our comments. Then she asked, “What parish do you do go?” It surprised me that she knew I was Catholic. I answered her and we got off topic as we discussed faith for a bit.

Yesterday, I had agreed to meet Yingyee Herman on the UW-Madison campus for a podcast in her Fearless Catholic Women Series. She asked me to meet her at the college library and emailed the address of 600 N. Park. My husband and I headed into Madison. I directed him to the library and he dropped me off. When the time arrived and there was no sign of Yingyee, I texted her. It was then I found out that I was at the wrong library. I had ignored the address she’d sent believing as

Date: Memorial of St. Cecilia Scripture Text:   Luke 20:27-40 Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven

I have a very short “Bucket List.” I want to see the northern lights, and I want to go to Ireland. Yesterday morning when I picked up my phone after prayer, I found a photo of the northern lights from a neighbor taken hours before. They were right over my home. And I slept through it. Bummer!   I must admit that I was sad and disappointed. So close…yet I missed it. It bothered me. I kept asking “why?”  Why wasn’t it me who saw them? And then my day unfolded and with it encoun

Date: Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Scripture Text:   Luke 19:45-48 Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them,     “ It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,     but you have made it a den of thieves. ” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find n

You know the famous book for children titled Finding Waldo . Waldo is on every page of the book, doing something. The reader is sure Waldo is there. The task is locating him.  I think of that book often when I am teaching faith formation.  I wish I could adequately convey to others that Jesus is  on every page of our lives. Can we find Him?   Jesus is there with us as we dream. He is there with us as labor. He is there with us as we struggle. He is there with us in our suffer

Date: Thursday of the 33 rd  Week in Ordinary Time Scripture Text:   Psalm 50:1b-2, 5-6, 14-15 R.    (23b)  To the upright I will show the saving power of God. God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,     from the rising of the sun to its setting. From Zion, perfect in beauty,     God shines forth. R.     To the upright I will show the saving power of God. “ Gather my faithful ones before me,     those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” And the heavens pro

A few years back, I noticed what I thought was a bunny outside my porch. But when that bunny started to climb a tree, I realized it wasn’t a bunny but rather a squirrel with no tail. I watched that unique critter daily. I mentioned him to the neighbors who had also noticed him. The young girl two houses down had actually given him a name, Stumpy. It stuck. We all started calling him Stumpy.   As I said, I watched for him and celebrated his accomplishments despite his having n