Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 43

Deeds of Hope

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.

In today’s lectionary readings, we come face to face with two strong women, women strong in their faith, though they are called to show it in vastly different ways.

The responsorial reading comes from the Book of Judith. Her name means “Jewish woman,” and she is a formidable female. To deliver Israel from its foes, she first enchants, then decap...

Handel, Isaiah, and Journeys

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.

For some people, Advent really starts when the candles are lit. For others, it really starts when the tree is up and the house decorated (don’t start in about why you should wait to do that). For me, it really starts when I listen to the Isaiah parts of George Handel’s “Messiah.” It’s impossible for me to study Isaiah without hearing Handel’s mu...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Itala Mela

The Basics: Born August 28, 1904, in Italy; died April 29, 1957, in Italy; beatified June 10, 2017; feast day, April 28. Mystic.

The Story: Itala was just nine when her brother died suddenly. “After his death, nothing,” she later wrote. She found no immediate comfort in her faith; both her parents were atheists, and while Itala had experienced the sacraments of penance and reconciliation and the Eucharist thanks to the guidance of her maternal grandparents, she had no burning desire to know G...

“God Is Salvation”

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.

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-3, NRSVCE)

The New American Bibl...

Friends in Faith: Mary Lenaburg

Mary Lenaburg lives her faith large and confident and humble. If those seem like contradictions, well, you need to get to know Mary. God has given her a special, special ministry: sharing the story of the way God loves each of us like crazy, even when we may not understand what He’s doing. For twenty-two years, Mary and her husband (and their son!) were on a spiritual journey caring for and being cared for by Courtney, who suffered her first grand-mal seizure when she was only about a month o...

On the Nightstand: Be the Gift

I had lunch recently with a friend, and as usual, my mind wandered off to all the things I had to get done that afternoon. Then she asked with a bright smile, “Have you prayed yet today? Can we pray together now?” Wham! And so we did, for about an hour, going through the day’s readings and a couple of meditations along with some personal sharing. What I’m remembering about that day is not how much I got done, but how holy that time was. Thinking of that led me to Ann Voskamp’s Be the Gift: L...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Irene Stefani

The Basics: Born August 22, 1891, in Italy; died October 31, 1930, in Kenya; beatified May 23, 2015; feast day, October 31. Woman religious and missionary.

The Story: Talk about an adventure! Irene burned to become a missionary, but at times, it must have seemed an impossible dream. One of twelve children, she was not quite eight when her mother died. But she continued to think of that “yes” to God. Shortly before her twentieth birthday, Irene joined the Consolata Missionary Sisters, making h...

“See That You Be Not Deceived”

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.

We don’t know what we don’t know, and sometimes, we don’t know what we do know.

Regardless of your political bent, it’s tempting to feel despondent about the world. Some of us felt that way on September 11, 2001; others, when nuclear weapons were dropped in Japan in August 1945.  And when we feel helpless, we look for easy fixes and answers.

Dou...

Embrace Every Possibility

An occasional series based on stuff that hangs in my room… or my heart.

A friend of mine is fond of encouraging people never to turn down an opportunity unless it’s immoral or illegal. That philosophy has taken her to foreign countries on the spur of a moment, a geographic relocation, a very happy marriage, and more.

As for me, well, I’m a planner. While it doesn’t take me long to make a decision about anything, I do like to have some data first so I can do the tradeoff analysis of what I’m g...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Brigida Morello Zancano

The Basics: Born June 17, 1610, Italy; died September 3, 1679, in Italy; beatified March 3, 1998, by John Paul II; feast day, September 3. Wife and woman religious.

The Story: It was perhaps not the life Brigida expected as a child. Born in the middle of a family of eleven children, she assumed caregiver roles when her mother became ill. She married at twenty-three, moved away from her hometown with her husband, only to be widowed by the time she was twenty-seven.

Brigida felt a tug at her so...