Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 54

Of Martyrdom, in Ways Small and Large

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.

It was an unusual conversation to have at 5:30 in the morning, which made it all the more of a gift.

I’d been up for an hour, preparing for a weekend getaway, when I received a group email from a friend and business associate. What was she doing up that early? She’d left me a phone message the evening before, so I shot her a note to see if we co...

He Who Speaks Through You

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 woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.”  Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” (John 4:25-26)

We all have them, those special people who reflect Christ to us on every occasion. They listen when we are in despair, admonish us with love...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Elisabetta Sanna Porcu

The Basics: Born April 23, 1788, in Italy; died February 17, 1857, in Italy; beatified September 17, 2016; feast day, February 17. Wife, mother, catechist.

The Story: It was not a life full of promise early on. As a child, Elisabetta contracted smallpox, and was never again able to raise her arms over her head. Despite this disability, she had by all accounts a happy marriage for eighteen years that resulted in seven children, five of whom lived past infancy.

Six years after her husband’s dea...

Discipline, Rigor, and Faith

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.

So here we are, nearly two weeks past Ash Wednesday. How’s it going so far? Staying away from the wine or chocolate? Still off social media? Setting aside for the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal the money you would have spent on coffee? All laudable things, to be sure. If you’ve been lacking in the discipline department, pray for help in getting back on...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Malgorzata (Lucja) Szewczyk

The Basics: Born in 1828 in Ukraine; died June 5, 1905, in Poland; beatified June 9, 2013; feast day, June 5. Woman religious.

The Story: Politics may have gotten in the way of Malgorzata’s vocation, but oppression couldn’t stop her from doing the Lord’s work in a variety of ways. She was born of Polish parents just before Poles failed to regain independence in a struggle against the Russians. Although she felt a call to religious life from an early age, the anti-Catholic political climate me...

Babbling Like Pagans

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 Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer. But before He shows us how to pray, he tells us how not to pray. The New American Bible notes on the passage refer to the likelihood of pagans rattling off their names for the divine, apparently hoping that one of the names will do the trick and result in the desired act...

On the Nightstand: March 2017

I’m so excited to read this book I can hardly stand it. First, Pat Gohn rocked my world with her book Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious, which introduced the concept of spiritual motherhood to me. She’s become a friend and a spiritual writing mentor. Second, I was “away” from the Catholic Church for most of my adult life, and for a long time resisted the pull to return. Pat, a lifelong Catholic and the editor of Catechist magazine, isn’t one to pull punches about her own personal struggles… o...

Friends in Faith: Allison Gingras

Allison Gingras seems to be everywhere, all the time. She has a wonderful radio show, A Seeking Heart. She blogs. She leads retreats. She’s facilitating an online Lenten book club. She loves and cares for her family. Allison never stops seeking… or giving… and does it all with a beautiful, loving heart.

I can’t even remember where we first encountered each other virtually, but one of our connection points has always been our mutual draw to spend time with Jesus in adoration chapels. Small won...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Assunta Marchetti

The Basics: Born  August 15, 1871, in Italy; died July 1, 1948, in Brazil; beatified October 25, 2014; feast day, July 1. Woman religious, missionary.

The Story: Have you ever had a sibling lead you into an adventure–and then leave you there alone? In some ways, that’s what happened to Assunta Marchetti. One of eleven children, Assunta from an early age wanted to live in a cloistered Carmelite community. However, her brother Giuseppe, who was two years older, had a vocation and it was decided...

Giving Up Everything

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.

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left  everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers a...