The Garden of my Life
My garden, once a sanctuary, was trampled upon by those closest to me – my own family. Years of betrayal and anguish left me feeling forsaken and utterly all alone. I tried to navigate life all by myself, but I…
Pilgrimaging With The Bridegroom
There are journeys we take for rest, journeys we take for discovery, and then there are pilgrimages—the sacred journeys we undertake to be found. In the heart of Italy, nestled in the rich soil of Church history and sanctity, I…
Jesus, The Bridegroom, AbbeyFest, and a Foretaste of Heaven
Imagine a music festival: the lights, the energy, the crowd moving together in rhythm. Now imagine that festival is AbbeyFest, the annual Catholic music festival which brings faith, music, and family together to praise our God. The headliner is none…
Moment to Moment With The Bridegroom
During the homily at the closing Mass of a recent Theology of the Body Institute week which delved into God's beauties, Father Ryan Mann marveled at how the presenter, that very morning at breakfast, had seen the wealth of a…
With Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
I realize we are not in the season of Lent, which is when I had intended to write this article on meeting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Trusting in the Lord’s timing, perhaps early September is the perfect time…
The Cross is a Door
Within the cross is life And consolation. It alone is the road Leading to heaven. This sacred cross, An olive tree so dear, With its oil anoints us Giving us light. My soul, take up this cross Rich with consolations…
A Place to Rest His Head
Earlier this summer, my 10-year-old son Zachary and I went to visit my “forever friend,” Colleen (we’ve known each other since we were toddlers), at her home in Shark River Hills, NJ, which is the neighborhood where she and I…
Praying With The Holy Name
I will be forever grateful for my Jesuit graduate school professor, Father William Walsh, and the many "take-homes" of his Spiritual Theology course five-plus decades ago. "Why tune the violin after the concert?" he'd say. "I promise you that if…
The Bridegroom Ascends
As Jesus ascended into Heaven, His feet lifted from the earth not in farewell, but in promise. The Ascension is not an end—it is a beginning. Christ, having completed His mission of redemption, returns to the Father to take His…
Coming Up From the Desert
"Who is this coming up from the desert, leaning on her beloved?" – The Song of Songs 8:5 We made it! We have emerged from the desert of Lent and are well into the Easter season. Was your Lenten season…