Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.
Nearly half of all American families do not meet the definition of nuclear family. Each type of family has its distinctive characteristics, advantages, and challenges. “Faith Hits Home” tackles societal issues facing today’s modern Catholic family and sheds light on the ability to accept yourself, your beliefs and values, your questions, and all you may be struggling with in your faith at home.
Are you ever afraid? As a child, I was plagued by nightmares. One night, I woke trembling to see a dark shape hovering at the back of my bed. I was terrified. But then I felt God stand behind me. He raised strong arms and wrapped me in his wings....
I suspect I am not alone in associating September with attack. Even after twenty-two years, 9/11 is burned in my mind as a slow-motion unraveling of a horror-filled day. But the recollection always ends at our candlelit church, filled all night with people at prayer. We got a bitter taste...
Another year is here! I should be happy, but it sometimes feels like Jesus went away when I packed up the Nativity set. All the reminders of his birth are gone, and now the day is dull and gray. I pray but feel nothing. Where is the Lord? Do you...
Perhaps it is the presence of Valentine’s Day: February is widely recognized as the month in which people fall in love. (I know this was true for my late husband and me!) Love has many lessons. Some can only be learned in retrospect. I wrote this reflection for a beautiful...
I run a lifestyle blog for women called Her Story Goes in which I sometimes interview inspiring women in my community. While the conversation typically revolves around their passions, accomplishments, and daily rituals, I always end on the same question: “If you could have coffee with one woman, living or...
As we enter January and February, I can’t help but feel a bit melancholy after the excitement of Christmas. Now I have two more months of bleak weather where I’m likely to be trapped indoors with fighting kids who will start to push me to my limits. This is the perfect...
December might be the craziest, most hectic month of the year. But it’s also a prime time to talk about Jesus! Tapping into the penitential season of Advent without crossing over into the joy of Christmas is nearly impossible. And really, the excitement is part of the fun. How can...
My doctor smiled as she entered the examination room and delivered the news I hoped to hear: “You’re good to go!” It had been two years since I learned that I had breast cancer, two years since I had had a mastectomy. Now, two years later, a mammogram confirmed what...
Prayer is not easy for me, much less for my kids. In fact, I fail far more than I succeed. Any success I have is credited to the Holy Spirit and some miracle of my cooperation. Maybe you struggle with prayer, too. Here are some things I’ve found useful in...
My cell phone rang at 5 a.m. I didn’t recognize the number—but I recognized my mom’s voice on the other end of the line. “There’s been a fire,” she explained. “We’re OK.” My parents had been staying at their vacation condo in Florida. A neighbor’s porch caught fire early in...
When Pope Francis announced the start of the Year of the Consecrated Life last November, he set forth three aims: To look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion, and to embrace the future with hope. While these aims were announced in the context of celebrating...
If I hear my car making a strange noise, I call my dad to ask his advice. He knows just about everything auto-related, so I trust his diagnosis and his opinion on the repair quotes from mechanics. If I have a question about my taxes, I call my mom. As...
The month of May is significant. It is the month in which Mother’s Day is celebrated. It is the month of graduations. And, for Catholics, it is the month of Mary. For me, this May holds special significance, as it is the month in which my youngest child graduates from...
Sidebar by Sarah Reinhard Lent is the time of year I love to hate. It’s all too easy for Lenten practices to turn into big, impossible jobs. And yet, after the overload of Christmas, there’s something about the spartan that’s appealing. The three pillars of Lent are fasting, almsgiving, and...
Lent appears to never end. But Easter seems gone in a snap. Some years I blink and wonder if I missed it. But in actuality, while the plastic bunnies and egg-laden trees disappear by Monday afternoon, to Christians, Easter is a fifty-day season! Think about it. On Good Friday we...
A story of how one couple follows the example of our risen Lord, even when their pain seems unimaginable. It was the phone call every parent dreads. In the early-evening hours on the last day of 2014, the police called a close friend of mine with tragic news. A driver...
The safety drill on airplanes is familiar. After you’re seated, the flight attendant explains that if oxygen masks drop from the overhead compartment, parents must put their masks on first and then assist their children. As I sit through those drills, I sometimes wonder if I would be able to...
I’m the captain of a small boat that’s being buffeted by a hurricane. The only other passengers on board are my two terrified children huddled below deck. I grip the lifeline tightly and fight against the waves that try to sweep me overboard. I’m tempted to give in and let...