Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 30

A Time Without Christ

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.

Writing devotions and reflections is seldom as easy as it looks. (Yeah, I know, cue the tiny violin.) I always start with a short prayer before I open up the readings, asking the Lord to provide the message He wants me to share. And many times, whether it’s for Your Daily Tripod or other publications and sites for which I write, when I look at t...

Wednesday’s Woman: Saint Irene of Tomar

The Basics: Born about 635 in Portugal; died about 653 in Portugal; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, October 20. Woman religious and martyr.

The Story: Irene’s is a story that may ring familiar for some of us today. Tradition has it that she was born into a wealthy noble family, and as time went on, a young man of a similar background became enchanted by her. Irene, who had been sent to convent school since a very early age, explained to the gentleman that she had promised her life to t...

All About Alms

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.

Alms, alms, alms. The word shows up 163 times at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ site… and just three times in the New Testament.

While the first image that may come to mind is providing funds to someone who’s destitute, almsgiving means much more than that. The USCCB site tells us it’s “donating money or goods to the poor and performin...

Wednesday’s Woman: Saint Angadrisma

The Basics: Died about 695 in France; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, October 14. Woman religious.

The Story: It seemed like the ideal match, Angadrisma and Ansbert. They were about the same age and of the same class; both their fathers may have been in the court of King Clotaire III. However, Angadrisma felt called in a strong way to the religious life. The struggle reached a crescendo when Angadrisma developed leprosy. Apparently, what she had felt in her soul was what the Lord desir...

Glorifying God In Spite of Ourselves

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.

Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.  And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”  So they glorified God because of me. (Galatians 1:21-24, NABRE)

We like to sit in judgment of them, t...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Aurea of Cordoba

The Basics: Born about 810 in Spain; died 856 in Spain; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, July 19. Laywoman and martyr.

The Story: Aurea likely was not quite a teenager when two of her brothers were executed by Cordoba’s rulers for being Christians. Small wonder, then, that after the death of her husband, Aurea, possibly with her Christian mother, retired to live in a life of what they thought would be peace and quiet in St. Clare’s monastery.

Then, beginning in 850, tensions between Mus...

Being Like a Child

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.

If you are any kind of a hockey fan in the DC area, you know the name Leni Oshie. Leni is the two-year-old daughter of Capitals winger T.J. Oshie, and she is A Thing. Check out this link to see Leni embracing pasta with gusto. If that’s not enough, visit mom Lauren Oshie’s Instagram feed to see Leni with ice cream, Leni with chocolate, Leni with...

On the Nightstand: The Gift of Invitation

The tug at my friend Allison Gingras’ heart to put together a series of guided journals for women began more than two years ago (and I have the emails to prove that!). It wasn’t like Allison didn’t already have plenty on her plate, with her family; her blog, Reconciled to You, and podcast, A Seeking Heart; and her work with Women in the New Evangelization. But you may notice a commonality in Allison’s ministries: she has a call to bring women closer to the Lord and to help them believe in His...

Friends in Faith: Nancy Ward

I’ve been following and interacting with Nancy Ward, a sister in Christ and the Catholic Writers Guild, for several years now. A few years ago, Nancy released a terrific DVD aimed at showing people that Christianity isn’t a spectator sport and that we’re all called to evangelization. Soon she’ll be releasing a book on the same topic, Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips,  and Testimonies. For me, Nancy is an example of obedience (who knew an introvert would have such a public minis...

Falling in Love with Fall

In my September e-letter, I asked readers to tell me what they loved so much about fall, since it’s my least favorite season. And boy, did you tell me! Here’s a sampling. Thanks so much… and I’m trying to drink in your words!

“All of the colors–oranges, yellows, reds and browns.”  —Connie G. “Because it’s not too hot, it’s not cold; it’s just right. There’s not too many bugs either during fall season. And to me, fall is almost Christmas.” —Maria C. “Back to school! I only have one child left...