Jonathan Ryan's Blog, page 57

The Babadook and the Faith Healer

I’m seeing a healer. The woman works out of an office where she officially does something else, something totally unrelated to healthcare or spirituality, I’m not even sure what. I’m not even sure how I got here, except that a friend who goes to my church saw something in me that needed healing, and I [Read More...]

Marian Apparitions: Blessings or a Curse?

As a kid, I grew up in the Charismatic renewal that swept its way through the Catholic Church in the late seventies and early eighties. Much of my childhood was spent at prayer meetings with nuns running up and down the aisles, priests speaking in tongues, and a two hour (!) mass healing service. [Read More...]

Dark Devotional: A Holy Distraction

—————————————————————————————————————————– For many years, my father was the only saint I’d pray to. St. Paul of West Creek, NJ, pray for me. I then proceeded to call or message him what need was most pressing. My interest in saints began with A Child’s Book of Prayer in Art, a gorgeously illustrated book written by a [Read More...]

Three Reasons I Don’t Pray to Mary

Mary, it’s not you. It’s me. I promised that this month, your month, I would try to pray the rosary every night. I know the rosary is powerful. I sense its power even if I don’t pray it. I remember sleeping with my beads under my pillow as a sick child. I still keep a [Read More...]

The North Remembers–Kind Of–On Good Days–If You’re Lucky: A Note From Sick Pilgrim’s Viking Correspondent

I laugh whenmy Facebook feed advertises some inspirational book or other called The Way of the Viking or something like that – I imagine its probable romantic perspective – the usual “be strong and tough and persistent and good things will come to you” line, packaged this time under the image of a figure part [Read More...]

Dark Devotional: The Bad-Enough Mother

Once, I met a smart young woman who was very interested in what kind of a mother I was. To be honest, she had some concerns. At one point, she actually gave me a quiz of sorts: over a hundred questions covering everything from household television-viewing habits to what I did with socks that [Read More...]

They Call Me Parrain: On the Strange Practice of being a Godparent

Cajun Country is a unique little hub in southern Louisiana. Nestled in the steroeotyped Southeastern US culture – the Confederate flag waving, Republican-voting, diehard evangelical Protestant Christian South – Acadiana is unquestionably different from its neighbors, largely due to the Roman Catholic faith of its settlers from Canada. Catholic culture pervades, especially in the selection [Read More...]

I have a Problem with Mary…and Possibly Women in General.

I wear a rosary around my neck and not for a fashion statement. My best friend bought it for me at the Vatican, where the Pope blesses the rosaries. Every time I visit a basilica or cathedral, I dip the beads into the Holy Water. I glued my Pope Francis pilgrim medal from the papal [Read More...]

I have a Problem with Mary….And Possibly Women in General.

I wear a rosary around my neck and not for a fashion statement. My best friend bought it for me at the Vatican, where the Pope blesses the rosaries. Every time I visit a basilica or cathedral, I dip the beads into the Holy Water. And, I glued my Pope Francis pilgrim medal from the [Read More...]

Dark Devotional: Fifth Sunday of Easter: All You Need is Love

A Reading from the Gospel According to John When Judas had left them, Jesus said,“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.If God is glorified in him,God will also glorify him in himself,and God will glorify him at once.My children, I will be with you only a little while [Read More...]