When I was in Guatemala on retreat earlier this month, I was humbled and heartened by the visible presence of Lent not just in churches but on storefronts and private homes. Purple banners fluttered from awnings, reminding us with every step that we were on the road to Calvary. In churches throughout the city of Antigua and in tiny villages that dot Lake Atitlan, large-scale Stations of the Cross were readied for street processions. Churches draped in purple took our breath away. In one church, a man bent low over a “carpet” of colored sawdust, designing beautiful images on the ground for a Le ..read more

My reflection on today’s Scripture readings in the March issue of Give Us This Day:  At some point or another, most of us have been blamed for something we didn’t do. It doesn’t feel good, and sometimes it can be downright scary. Whenever I read a story of someone released from prison after having served decades for a crime they did not commit, I am astounded by their joy, their gratitude, and I often imagine how I might respond in a similarly horrific situation. I’m not sure I’d be quite so gracious. To be able to withstand the unthinkable and maintain an unshakable trust in God, as we w ..read more

This Soul Seeing column appeared in the March 9 issue of the National Catholic Reporter: Air travel is not for the faint of heart. Although I don’t have a fear of flying, I do have a fear of pretty much everything else involved: getting through security, missing my connection, losing my luggage, etc. So when a recent trip from Milwaukee to upstate New York devolved into a multi-day travel odyssey, I was amazed to find myself reveling in the experience. It began after I’d led a five-day retreat for the Pallottine Fathers on the Wisconsin-Illinois border and was dropped off at the airport five h ..read more

In honor of Heart Health Month, I’m sharing my own heart health scare as a cautionary tale. I am so grateful I am here to tell my story. Trust your intuition and your gut. Listen to your heart — literally and figuratively! (18-minute listen) Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. The post Heart Health: Trust Your Gut (podcast) appeared first on Not Strictly Spiritual ..read more

Each year, as Lent begins, I can’t help but remember a scene from Sunday Mass a few years back. A little boy sitting in the second pew with his grandmother pointed to the Stations of the Cross hanging nearby, specifically the ninth station, Jesus falls a third time. A look of confusion and concern came across his little face, and he furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what was going on in that scene. “He’s crying. He’s crying,” he said, looking up at his grandma. Although most of us were focused on how adorable this little boy was, I found myself looking over my shoulder to see what he saw ..read more

It was 16 years ago today — on the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists — that I launched this blog. (You can read my original blog post from this date in 2008 HERE.) So, happy anniversary to me! And thank you to all of you who have followed me over the years and who continue to show up here again and again. I am forever grateful. It’s been an amazing journey, and, as you can see, what started as a little blog has grown into a much larger endeavor. It’s been a labor of love, one I plan to continue for as many years as I’m able. When I first launched Not Strictly Spiritual ..read more

Join me on the journey of a lifetime Sept. 30 to Oct. 11, 2024! La Dolce Vita: An Italian Pilgrimage of Food, Faith & Culture will take us from Rome to Orvieto, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Padua and Venice. Operated by Select International Tours & Cruises, this pilgrimage will depart Newark International Airport on Monday, Sept. 30, with a non-stop United flight to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. There we’ll be met by our bilingual tour guide, who will stay with us for the remainder of the 12-day trip. From there, the magic begins! We will visit the most spectacular and sacred sites these Itali ..read more

Join me on the journey of a lifetime Sept. 30 to Oct. 11, 2024! La Dolce Vita: An Italian Pilgrimage of Food, Faith & Culture will take us from Rome to Orvieto, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Padua and Venice. Operated by Select International Tours & Cruises, this pilgrimage will depart Newark International Airport on Monday, Sept. 30, with a non-stop United flight to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. There we’ll be met by our bilingual tour guide, who will stay with us for the remainder of the 12-day trip. From there, the magic begins! We will visit the most spectacular and sacred sites these Itali ..read more

A Christmas poem written by Madeleine L’Engle in 1973 but sounding incredibly timely for all of us living in a troubled world today: This is no time for a child to be born, With the earth betrayed by war & hate And a comet slashing the sky to warn That time runs out & the sun burns late. That was no time for a child to be born, In a land in the crushing grip of Rome; Honour & truth were trampled by scorn — Yet here did the Saviour make his home. When is the time for love to be born? The inn is full on the planet earth, And by a comet the sky is torn — Yet Love still takes the risk ..read more

The Advent season — with its message to “Be watchful! Be alert!” — felt uncomfortably timely for me this year. Coming off a recent health scare, I have been all too aware of the reality that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” It started in Assisi, when I was walking up a not-too-steep hill to the Basilica of St. Francis with my husband, Dennis, and a large tour group. About halfway up, I stopped, not sure I could continue due to pain in my chest. My husband asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, and I jokingly replied that I’d rather die at the Basilica of St. Francis. I tried to ..read more