faith Archives - Not Strictly Spiritual

May 25

Pope Francis: We are not meant to be “controllers” of the faith. We are meant to open doors.

Pope Francis’ homily today was so good, I had to post about it immediately. Every time I read something this pope says, it’s proof to me the Spirit is alive and well for sure because this Church needed this pope at this moment. And here he is. When I read this homily, I joked that Pope Francis must have visited one of my former parishes because the scenes he describes are right out of Catholic central casting. Unfortunately. Like this story: Read more

May 7

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Apostle to the Misfits

About five years ago, around the time my Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism came out, a national Catholic newspaper ran a story on it — and me — with the headline, “Apostle to the Idiots.” That snarky label was clearly meant to convey a certain attitude toward those of us who write and read Idiot’s Guides on topics any more serious than, say, camping or jazz music or Microsoft Word. But, guess what? I wore that title as a badge of honor because what that newspaper didn’t get was the fact that the folks who read my books and follow my blog and others like it are a breed apart, not “idiots” but something outside the norm, something unusual and original and wonderful: misfits, in a sense. So today I am declaring myself to be Apostle to the Misfits, those people who color outside the lines, who are quirky and eccentric and true to themselves and their beliefs in the most glorious ways. We are misfits; hear us roar. Read more

Mar 30

Holy Saturday: Waiting in the shadows

Peter never really used to be one of my favorites from Scripture, but the older I get, the more beloved he becomes. He gives me comfort because I identify with him, especially lately. At this point in our faith story, Peter is locked away — afraid, ashamed, alone. He doubted, he denied, he ran away. Even before the crucifixion, he often seemed to get it wrong. Imagine for a moment that Jesus says to you, “Get behind me, Satan.” Yeah, that’s pretty bad. And yet Jesus saw fit to call him the “rock,” the one who would go on to lead his church, or, at that point, his band of disciples. Maybe, just maybe then, Jesus sees some shred of worth beneath my many failings, behind my own doubts and fears. Read more

Mar 29

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Where are the shepherds who are willing to live with the ‘smell of the sheep’?

I’d like to backtrack for a minute and make sure you all had a chance to read what I think is a critical and spot-on portion of Pope Francis’ homily — directed toward priests — at the Chrism Mass yesterday. When I read this, I was moved by the beauty of both the content and the language, and by the truth that this pope speaks. Read more

Mar 28

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The gift of bread, broken and shared among friends

Earlier this week, we sat around our kitchen table as a family and broke the unleavened bread made by Chiara’s faith formation teacher as a Holy Week exercise and gift. As we passed the bread around, we talked about Passover and Jesus and the Last Supper and Eucharist, all the while thinking about how fitting it was that we were doing this as our Jewish neighbors were celebrating their own Passover meal in the house next door. Read more

Mar 22

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Are you brave enough to give without conditions?

This morning I came across a post over at Momastery that really stopped me cold. I mean, I do my little charitable stuff here and there, but I have never done anything anywhere close to as generous as what you’ll read about in the post below. I hope someday maybe I’ll have the courage, the trust, the faith to take that leap and giving without counting the cost — not on a calculator, not in my head, not in my heart. Because a lot of times I think we’re still counting the cost even when we’re trying our hardest to be generous. It’s hard to break that hold, to give and not register it somewhere. Read more

Mar 16

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My pope crush: He had me at ‘Hola.’

I’ll admit it: It was love at first sight. I have got a crazy pope crush – in an agape sort of way. He had me at “Hola.” Actually, he had me at “Francis.” And so far I’ve still got stars in my eyes. This is new territory for me. Don’t get me wrong. I loved John Paul II, the pope of my youth, and I loved Benedict XVI, the pope of my middle age, but I’m head over heels for Pope Francis. It’s verging on ridiculous, but I can’t help myself. Read more

Mar 15

23 Comments

My blog, my choice. My blog, my choice.

So yesterday I wrote a deeply personal post about my recent spiritual struggles and my feelings of hope upon seeing Pope Francis step onto the balcony. I felt very vulnerable, especially since I spoke about not even being able to pray this Lent. I believe that’s what’s called “putting myself out there.” Read more

Mar 14

7 Comments

Pope Francis, rebuild our Church. Please.

The weeks between Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI resigning and Pope Francis stepping out onto that balcony happened to coincide with particularly dark spiritual days for me, a long stretch of feeling adrift and wondering where I’d eventually land. There were even days, I will admit, when I railed against the Church (if only in the privacy of my own home). All I kept hearing in my head were Jesus’ own words: “Blind guides…hypocrites.” Even the run-up to the conclave held no appeal for me. I was detached, unfeeling, unsure. Read more