Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 106

Of Earthly Grief, and Joy that Lasts

Note: On Fridays, you can find me atYour Daily Tripod,owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

Has your hour arrived?

I suspect many of us feel we have more than one during our lives. I think of the heartaches some of my friends have endured in the past couple of years: loss of an infant after less than one day of life, after an all-too-normal full-term pregnancy. The death of a spouse who suffered a never-before-experienced seizure while driving and was invol...

Returning Catholics FAQs: How Do I Come Back?

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

I want to be Catholic again, but I don’t know how.

It’s easier than you think. Really.

You may want to start by checking out the Catholics Come Home Web site. You may get some of you...

No More Secrets

Note: On Fridays, you can find me atYour Daily Tripod,owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

No more secrets.

Imagine the puzzlement of the apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus has told them a great many things in a short amount of time: He’s going away, but he’ll be back. They will be capable of much. There are no more secrets; he’s shared all the knowledge God has given him, every last bit:

“I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his...

Returning Catholics FAQs: What Am I Getting Into?

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

What will the Church expect of me if I come back? What will God expect?

What’s expected of you is pretty clear, if challenging:

Live by the commandments, in particular the two great...

The Plain Truth

Note: On Fridays, you can find me atYour Daily Tripod,owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

The linkage still isn’t there for the disciples as they sit down to the Last Supper, despite the fulfillments to date of the Old Testament prophecies, of Jesus’s confirmation he is the Messiah. Now, the greatest test of all is coming.

And so he tries again in today’s lectionary Gospel reading. You have faith in God, so have faith in me, he advises them. They still do...

Returning Catholics FAQs: What If I Don’t Fit In?

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author ofWhen They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics,a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

What if I don’t fit in at a parish?

You won’t, always. Neither do cradle Catholics who’ve never missed a Sunday Mass in their lives.

Parishes and priests are different, just as people...

Of Jail Mail, Redemption, and Conversion

Note: On Fridays, you can find me atYour Daily Tripod,owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

I got a piece of jail mail the other day. It doesn’t happen every day, but frequently enough (five or six times a year) that it doesn’t surprise me. It is, however, one of the reasons the address I publicize in public profiles and editing listings is not my home, but a mail box.

The gentleman was looking for someone to help him find a publisher or agent for his non-f...

Returning Catholics FAQs: When Is It Too Late?

On Mondays, I provide answers to questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author ofWhen They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

When is it too late to return to the Church?

Never.

If this isn’t your time, maybe next week will be, or next month, or next year. But why wait? Life is short and preciou...

Patience: That Elusive Virtue

Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

Have you played the phone game? You know, the one where everyone at dinner puts their smart phones in a pile. First one to extract his or hers has to buy everyone else’s meals. With most groups, someone will cave before the entrée comes. Because someone might need them, you see. Someone whose need could not wait even an hour until the meal is complete. And you won...

On the Nightstand: May

I’ve been blessed to meet lots of amazing people through my saints ministry, and often, they provide wonderful spiritual resources.

This month, I’ll be reading Jacques Philippe’sTime for Godbased on the recommendation of a new friend. It’s just 108 pages long, so there will be no excuse for notfinishing it in a 31-day month! The back cover copy intrigues me: “… Time is not the real problem but recognizing what matters most in life.” I’m hoping the book will help me remember to put the Lord fir...