Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 29

Whoever Has Ears Ought to … Listen

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

The seven churches of Asia named in the opening chapters of Revelation all had their strong points… and the places where evil was testing them. Of the two cited in today’s first reading, Sardis is warned to repent; Laodicea’s lukewarmness to the Lord is noted.

Now, I suppose one could attempt to tie the shortcomings of the churches to those of t...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Gertrude the Great

The Basics: Born 1256 in Germany; died 1302 in Germany; canonized 1677; feast day, November 16. Woman religious, mystic, and author.

The Story: It’s commonly acknowledged that Gertrude is the only female Catholic saint who is called “great.” So, what’d she do that was so great during her forty-six years on earth?

Perhaps it was her obedience… and her faith that, armed with the Lord’s grace, she could do whatever He asked for her. From an early age, she was enveloped by a community of women re...

“What We Were Obliged to Do”

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

“When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” (Luke 17:10, NABRE)

They say that when Frances Cabrini died on December 22, 1917, she had been making Christmas candy for at-risk children in Chicago. It wasn’t a big, showy thing; but then, Frances probably wouldn’t ha...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Clelia Merloni

The Basics: Born March 3, 1861, in Italy; died November 21, 1930 in Italy; beatified November 3, 2018; feast day, November 21. Woman religious.

The Story: Clelia’s story is one of humility and unjust judgment. Her life had begun so positively, born into a wealthy family, which afforded her a good education and financial security. However, she was grieved by her industrialist father’s turn away from faith. Indeed, she sometimes put a pebble in her shoe to atone for his offenses.

All seemed wel...

What’s Your Excuse?

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

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

The man in Luke 14 had made all the plans for a big dinner. But when it was ready, everyone had an excuse: a field that had to be examined, oxen that had to be evaluated, a bride who needed attention. Everything but their commitment to the host was

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...

important. And so...

Friends in Faith: Kathleyne Sigler

When I think of my friend Kathleyne Sigler, I think of her voice—one of those strong, confident soprano voices that flies like a bird, fearless and sure it’s going where the Lord goes. I also think of her faith and courage in navigating some of the most difficult challenges a woman can face. It’s not that Kat is perfect—she’d be the first to laugh at that notion—but even in struggle, she radiates amazing joy. Small wonder, then, that she chose Joyful Colors as the name for her new greeting c...

On the Nightstand: Gaze upon Jesus

I’m planning to get an early start on Advent with this new six-week scripture study on Jesus’s early years through the eyes of Mary and other women in his life. What a great idea Gaze Upon Jesus is! It comes from Women in the New Evangelization, for whom I’m privileged to write occasionally. The opening pages of the book are comprised of gorgeous color paintings of the Annunciation, Visitation and more from the Vatican Museums to help put yourself in the setting. In the introduction, the edit...

Wednesday’s Women: The Martyred Daughters of Charity in Madrid

The Basics: Born between 1879 and 1906 in Spain; died between August 12, 1936, and February 11, 1937, in Spain; beatified October 13, 2013;  feast day, November 6. Women religious and martyrs.

The Story: There were fifteen of them, and they were part of two larger communities in the Madrid area. They were doing what Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul women religious had been doing for more than two hundred years and continue to do today: educating people and helping those in need. Th...

Being Leaven… and Leavening

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

Yeast. It’s a single-celled fungus. Alone, it doesn’t do much, good or bad. But we wouldn’t have wine or beer without it. When it comes to bread, yeast serves as a leaven, making the difference between flatbreads and light, airy loaves. We don’t need yeast the way we do oxygen or water, but it sure makes life richer and fuller.

In the same way,...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Daria

The Basics: Born in the third century AD in Italy; died about 283 in Italy; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, October 25. Wife and martyr.

The Story: It is a moving story, the tradition of Daria and Chrysanthus. She was a beautiful high priestess, possibly a vestal virgin responsible for maintaining Rome’s sacred fire. He was the son of a senator, and his conversion to Christianity troubled his father greatly, to the point that he arranged for Chrysanthus’s marriage to Daria. But instead...