Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 34

Saying No to Jesus

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.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.”  So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.  He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mark 6:4-6, NABRE)

Think about it: Jesus, the Son of the Omnipot...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Frideswide

The Basics: Born about 650 in England; died about 727 in England; canonized precongregation; feast day, October 19. Woman religious.

The Story: Many of the stories around women saints involve their rejection of suitors, and Fridewide is no exception. Born to a minor king in England, she convinced her father at a relatively young age to help her found a religious home of sorts for young women to get away from the world. The legend has it that a nobleman of some sort–perhaps a king–heard of her...

The Center Can and Does Hold

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.

Just as we all have our personal moments of annunciation, so do we all have glimpses of a second coming.

For Thomas, who had walked and talked and prayed and eaten with Jesus, the second coming occurred a few days after the others saw the risen Lord. We remember that he doubted their accounts. We tend to buzz past his reaction when he saw Jesus:...

On the Nightstand: Steps to Spiritual Perfection

While at the Holy Cross Abbey retreat center in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, I ask Monk A if he’s ever heard of Evagrius, whose writings I keep seeing referenced in stuff I’m reading. Eagerly, he says yes and that Evagrius (unlike me, he pronounces it correctly, ee-VAY-gree-us), a fourth-century Desert Father, is featured in a chapter of a book he’s reading on mysticism. He recommends a book by Driscoll that he thinks is on a table in the monastery gift shop. The next day, I go to the gift...

Friends in Faith: David Cortner

To me, David Cortner is a wizard. As my webmaster, he comes up with great graphics (my very favorite is the Advent calendar he designed a few years back). No matter how half-baked my ideas are, he figures out a way to make them work. (I can’t wait to see what he does with a few of my retreat doodles that hopefully will turn into a refreshed website next spring.) As my friend, I learn from his gentleness, patience, and enthusiasm. David is a wonderful husband to Amy, a photographer/astronome...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Maria Guggiari Echeverria (Maria Felicia de Jesus Sacramentado)

The Basics: Born January 12, 1925, in Paraguay; died April 28, 1959, in Paraguay; beatified June 23, 2018; feast day, April 28. Woman religious.

The Story: Unlike so many female saints, Paraguay’s first beatified woman did not receive her religious vocation early. That is not to say

Author: FF MM, found at https//:bit.ly/2IkVfv8; usage as per https://bit.ly/1upaQv7

Maria, the oldest of seven children, was frivolous; far from it. She became very involved in Catholic Action when she was still i...

Wednesday’s Woman: Maria Guggiari Echeverria (Maria Felicia de Jesus Sacramentado)

The Basics: Born January 12, 1925, in Paraguay; died April 28, 1959, in Paraguay; beatified June 23, 2018; feast day, April 28. Woman religious.

The Story: Unlike so many female saints, Paraguay’s first beatified woman did not receive her religious vocation early. That is not to say

Author: FF MM, found at https//:bit.ly/2IkVfv8; usage as per https://bit.ly/1upaQv7

Maria, the oldest of seven children, was frivolous; far from it. She became very involved in Catholic Action when she was still i...

The Narrow Gate

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.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.  How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14, NABRE)

Let’s be honest: The gate is as narrow as we want it to be.

Even when we know that w...

Wednesday’s Woman: Carmen Elena Rendiles Martinez

The Basics: Born August 11, 1903, in Venezuela; died May 9, 1977, in Venezuela; beatified June 16, 2018; feast day, May 9. Woman religious.

The Story: Carmen was never one to let adversity get in her way. She was born without a left arm, and began using a prosthesis at an early age. By all reports, she still had a very active childhood, playing with her eight siblings.

When she was fifteen, she began feeling a call to the religious life, but her plans were delayed in part due to her father’s...

Think, Love, Pray

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.

As Christians, we are asked to believe many difficult things: the presence of three Persons in one. The Incarnation. The Resurrection.

But believing is one thing; it’s possible for us to accept teachings

By Jim Forest; https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimfore... used under terms at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...#

and...