Browsing RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
The Vineyard
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
The Vineyard
The second son never showed up to the vineyard. Did he get lost? Did he get tired? Did he not know where to begin?
When it comes right down to it, good intentions amount to very little. We all know this, don’t we? “Show me, don’t tell ... Read More »
The Invitation to the Vineyard
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
The Invitation to the Vineyard
I have been working since I was 17, and in that time, I’ve encountered my fair share of bosses who don’t like being, well, fair.
There was the retail gig that paid me less than the official minimum wage because ... Read More »
The Hateful Things We Hug Tight
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
The Hateful Things We Hug Tight
At the end of “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,” Gollum fights with Frodo for possession of the One Ring. He wins the fight, but in doing so topples over the edge of the mountain ledge, falling into the cavernous fires ... Read More »
Love and Truth
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
Love and Truth
I think even the most devout, the most pious Catholic reading this could summon to mind, if asked, one or even two examples of Catholic teaching for which they have desperately looked for a loophole.
Don’t worry, I won’t make you share with the group. But ... Read More »
Choosing the Cross
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
Choosing the Cross
I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but I’ve never been called “Satan,” at least not to my face.
It seems to me the worst name you could call a person, and today we hear it straight from the lips of Jesus. It’s ... Read More »
Who Do You Say That I Am? Jesus gives him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
Who Do You Say That I Am?
I once knew a very devout woman whose adult godchild had fallen away from the practice of the faith. This godchild still believed in God, and even felt a sense of belonging in the Church. He was a ... Read More »
The Prayers God Always Answers
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
The Prayers God Always Answers
When I was a child, my mother bought a book called “The Prayers God Will Always Answer.” I remember my anticipation as I cracked the spine and turned to the first page.
I had been spending a lot of time asking God — ... Read More »
God and the Good Strong Wind
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
God and the Good Strong Wind
My only real memory of the Mackinac Island ferry was the physical sensation of the wind against my face. I remember, distinctly, that it hurt.
It surprised and confused me because wind had never felt painful before. Looking back now, I realize that ... Read More »
Transfigured
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
Transfigured
We have all had moments when we seem to get a glimpse of Heaven.
For me, they come with the sacraments: in the pew following my First Communion, kneeling before the bishop as he sealed my forehead with oil at my Confirmation, standing opposite my husband on our ... Read More »
The Falling Action and the Field
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli
The Falling Action and the Field
In my freshman year of high school, I was fairly miserable at identifying the five essential elements of plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).
To this day, the only reason I remember anything about them at all is because my ... Read More »