What does it mean to live justly in the world today? How does our faith invite us to work for peace and justice wherever we are - even at home? My friend Haley wrote a wonderful book on how her family embraced a counter-cultural lifestyle of seeking the Gospel more intentionally - The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture. Inspired by her example (and wishing I could have read her book years ago), I've been reflecting on how Catholic social teaching has informed and inspired our parenting in big and small ways. I hesitated to share this because we struggle daily with living out these parts of our faith. (I'd rather tell you to go read Haley's book instead!) But what I loved most about The Grace of Enough were the practical ideas to start small in your own life. When I shared these thoughts on Instagram, many of you asked if I'd be willing to write them up - so voila! If you'd like to read Haley's book, check out the bottom of the post for … [Read more...] about justice for us: Catholic social teaching at home
Spirituality in Daily Life
how to talk to kids about hard truths
When your children encounter death in a personal way, you cannot protect them from pain. You can consult experts. You can rehearse what to say. You can pray for guidance. But eventually you have to sit down and have hard conversations. Over the years, we've had more conversations about death and grief with our kids than I care to count. But today when I hear our children talk naturally about death and heaven, I realize that we have done them a great service in having difficult conversations. They are conversant about loss and grief at age-appropriate levels. They are unafraid to ask big questions about God and faith. They know they can bring us any emotion without fear or shame. Of course, such tough topics were not tackled in a single evening. We have fumbled through many rounds of questions, wishing we could move on to safer, smoother subjects. But we knew the hard conversations had to happen. Today in the Catholic Church, parents are wondering how to talk with their kids, … [Read more...] about how to talk to kids about hard truths
holy anger
I'm mad. Spitting mad. Irate, outraged, furious, frustrated, livid, fuming. Angry doesn't have enough synonyms to sum up the fury I feel at the most recent sex abuse scandals to shake the Catholic Church. I can heap adjective upon adjective, yet everything falls flat in the face of depraved evil and systemic injustice. The men who perpetrated such heinous crimes and the men who covered them up have made a mockery of the church I love. I cannot stay silent. In the weeks since the news broke, nearly every Catholic I know has struggled to digest and respond to the sickening scope of evil in our midst. But when I turned to Scripture for help and hope, what I found was clear. Holy anger. "Putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil." (Ephesians 4:25-27) This Scripture leapt off the page on the night I read the … [Read more...] about holy anger
if you’re soul-starved for sabbath
"Do not let Sunday be taken from you. If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan." (Albert Schweitzer) Ironic confession for summer's sweet center: I am starved for Sabbath. Between finishing our book on miscarriage, a delightfully busy season at work, and all the kids home from school (all day, every day. EVERY DAY), life has been spinning too fast and frenzied. I've been noticing for weeks now that I need to slow down. But I've reached that crazed threshold of CANNOT CHOOSE QUIET. Whenever there's a second to spare, I'm jumping onto email (because who isn't woefully behind?) or cleaning folding washing scrubbing or trying to catch up on one of the zillion projects I'd love to tackle if I could find the time. My mind monkey-hops from one thing to the next, nudged forward ever forward by the flash and press of the phone, that constant companion of distraction and compulsion. So. What to do when you can't slow down? I talk about this often to parents (#irony). … [Read more...] about if you’re soul-starved for sabbath