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The waitress may say, “Tell me when” as she shreds cheese over your salad. Your response “That’s enough” stops the grater. December is the month when we might like to say “That’s enough,” but there’s always more. Nothing stops. December is a cascade of parties, plays, shopping, baking, visiting, decorating, hosting, praying, longing, expecting. Sure,…

Earliest dawn is a rose. Watch a little longer, and the rose becomes a ruby. Before I even reach my morning coffee, I feel rich, bejeweled, the recipient of Nature’s wealth. I suppose I should walk with regal step throughout the coming day wearing my Dawn tiara.

November is my twelfth favorite month of the year. The sky is gray, the grass is brown, the trees are bare. With the change of the hour hand on a clock, the evenings are suddenly very, very dark. Clouds hang low, and I can almost feel their weight on my shoulders. The earth heaves a…

Before Vatican II the Solemnity of Christ the King was the last Sunday in October. although now the Solemnity rightfully occurs on the last Sunday of the Church Year (this year November 26). Kings and kingdoms may sound pompous, but the Gospels for Christ the King show a humble and generous king. In cycle A…

The Church Year continually evolves. In the first couple centuries the anniversaries of the deaths of martyrs were remembered, and many of those early saints are still on our Church calendar, such as Saint Lawrence on August 10. The list gets longer with each new decade. Robert Taft, S.J. suggested each parish church having its…

Saints have a past. One denied his Master, and another doubted Jesus’ resurrection. Some were scolded for their lack of faith. Some couldn’t control their anger or addictions. Hagiographers portray several as eccentric. Reading the lives of some saints, we may even feel sorry for their families, friends, or community members who had to put…

At every Mass we hear “Do this in memory of Me.”  I doubt that the imperative “Remember Me” was necessary at the Last Supper. After all, the disciples were Jewish. Of course, there would be more Passovers and religious meals. Of course, they would never forget to remember Jesus when they gathered. Jesus was not…

My mother died 20 years ago this week. Two decades that went faster than two decades of the family rosary when my favorite TV show was on. In one more decade I’ll be her age at the time of her death. Our Christian faith teaches that Mom lives on and on and on. Besides growing…

My home is situated on roads lined with the most colorful trees in Whitehouse, Ohio. Looking out my window or walking or driving down the road provides a panorama of spectacular colors. My throat catches an intake of surprise, although I always know the surprise will be coming. My throat can’t help itself. I’m always…

Autumn is that one-fourth of the year that often gives us all four seasons. September may feel like summer’s heat and humidity, October has the crispness we often think of when we think about autumn, November has spring-like rain, and December ushers in winter snow. Living in Ohio, I experience the changing seasons without having…