THE INSPIRED LIVING

The ancient Jubilee had four key pillars:  All the slaves were to be set free.  The land was to rest, there was to be no work done in that year. All debts were forgiven. Everyone returns home. As I was meditating upon the four key pillars of a Jubilee and its ancient traditions, a sort of framework began to take shape in my heart. A framework for this refocusing and regrouping, a way to focus my prayer throughout the year, and even a standard to hold myself up against as an examen of sorts throughout the year. I share that framework and some of my reflection questions with you here, in the hopes that it may also help you think more deeply about what this Jubilee year might mean for you, and how you too can walk more intentionally within the arms of the Church this year, and usher in a personal encounter with Christ. CLICK TO READ FULL BLOG

Several years ago, a friend and I started a super fun tradition of celebrating a Día de los Muertos Party to decidedly reclaim Halloween, AKA, All Hallow's Eve, for the beautiful Catholic tradition that it is. I know the Day of the Dead is not on Halloween, but after watching my kids go crazy for witch movies and seeing their little brains turn with curious excitement over magical cards and Ouija Boards and all sorts of occult references and practices (which so overtly make their way into secular, mainstream kids TV) I decided that enough was enough! In my home at least, something had to be done to bring faith and beauty back into this time of year, to strategically divert their attention from the message the world is clamoring at them. I wanted to focus on faith and tradition, but I didn't want to take the fun and mystery out of the month of October. *CLICK TO READ MORE*

This Sunday the Universal Church celebrates the Memorial of the Virgin Mary under her title, Our Lady of Sorrows. It seems at first an odd thing to "celebrate," her sorrow that is, for why should anyone's suffering be cause to celebrate? But what Our Lady, and thus the Church through her, is showing us is that there can be no celebration in the eternal realm without some measure of sorrow. Love and suffering cannot be separated. In fact, it has been said in different ways by countless saints, that love is cheap without the willingness to suffer for our beloved. Should it not then follow, that the two who loved best in all the world, Mary and her Son, also suffered the greatest? There is no way to heaven but through the Cross, and Our Lady knew that sorrow all too well. Click to read more.