Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 7

Great Calm

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

(Jesus) woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:39-40, NRSVCE)

I saw the message before I saw the friend request: “Please pray for me. I had breast surgery for the removal of cancer and am having anxiety.” I don’t ...

Family Drama

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

… and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat.When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” (Mark 3:20-21, NRSVCE)

What has Jesus been up to before today’s Gospel reading? Well, He cured a man with a withered hand—on the Sabbath, no less—along with a bunch of other people. He ...

Being Held to Account

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

And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. (Hebrews 4:13 NRSVCE)

With apologies to Charles Dickens, it is a time unlike any other and yet a time like every other.

We fear for our way of life—or fear it’s already been taken away. We believe political leaders, in our country and abr...

Words for 2021: What’s Yours?

In 2020, my word was TRUST… and I could have never guessed how much I would need it, from the challenges we all faced–covid, the lack of respectful dialogue in our country–to personal challenges including a bad fall on my front teeth. (Trust, good dental care, and loving friends got me through that one.)

This year, I’m going with REST. Not that I’m not going to do anything in 2021 but I’m going to gently set aside some things that sap me. My Scripture verse will be Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, al...

“I Must Decrease”

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

Read them out loud right now, wherever you are, the words of John the Baptist in John 3:30 (NRSVCE:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

If this didn’t give you the shivers or goosebumps, read them out loud again, right now.

It is John the Baptist’s final witness, this man sent to prepare the way. Jesus had begun His public ministry, and John knew that meant h...

Who Is the Liar?

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

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22, NRSVCE)

The author of 1 John had some specific liars in mind. They didn’t deny that Jesus had existed—but they did not believe He was the Messiah sent by God. That made them antichrists, those who denied the Father and th...

On the Nightstand: To Be Told

I wasn’t a churchgoer in my twenties when I learned to write fast and short. But that skill has served me well as a Catholic writer for the past decade. You’ve likely had similar experiences, where you could see in the present that God used your post in an unexpected way. But I’ve honestly never thought about how God is using what’s happening today to prepare me for tomorrow. A friend recently recommended this book on that very topic, and I’m looking forward to pondering its message this month.

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Saint Stephen and Speaking Truth

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

It doesn’t seem quite right, does it? Yesterday, we celebrated the baby Jesus, come to redeem us all. Then today, wham! Today’s lectionary readings remind us that being a Christian isn’t all about the sweetness of a newborn. It’s also about remembering that following Jesus means laying down our lives, perhaps not as gruesome or as public as His crucifixion, but de...

The Protection of Speechlessness

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

The story of Zechariah resonates with me, perhaps more than any story in the New Testament that does not directly involve Jesus. Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, too old, they believed, to have children. While that likely had caused them some pain and mourning, they seem to have accepted it. They are described as obeying all the commandments and ordinances, and Z...

Deeds of Hope

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

Juan Diego recognized the Blessed Virgin almost immediately as he approached Guadalupes Tepeyac hill on his way to Mass that day in December 1531. She wanted a chapel built. When Juan went back the next day, he told Mary that he had gone to the bishop about her request, but the bishop was less than supportive. She asked him to return the next day for proof, but...