Modern Mortification: Beyond Hair Shirts and Flogs
For years, the adoration chapel at my parish used to put out a little basket full of folded strips of paper on the table during Lent. It was accompanied by a little sign that read: “Pick a Penance.” Everyone takes one slip each time they visit. There’s to be no cheating and no “throwbacks.” As […]
Passive Mortification: Making the Best of a Bad Hair Day
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS We’ve all had one – the day that starts off bad and gets worse by the hour. The car won’t start, the cat got out, your boss just imposed an impossible deadline, the kids came home with the stomach bug and the dishwasher stopped mid-cycle. This is known as a bad […]
An Exorcist Explains How Satan Tempts the Just
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS The three temptations of Jesus are familiar to all of us – the temptation for sensual satisfaction, the thirst for power, and the desire for worldly recognition – but, as the Spanish exorcist Father Jose Antonio Fortea explains, these temptations become much more subtle and dangerous when they are imposed […]
It’s Lent! Do you know where your imperfections are?
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Once upon a time (which was about three days ago), when the Lord told me to work on getting rid of my imperfections for Lent, I couldn’t come up with a single one (not a good sign). “Lord,” I prayed, “I’m drawing a blank.”
New & Improved Mindfulness: Living in the Present, in the Presence
It pays to be a discerning Catholic – especially where the mindfulness craze is concerned. The discerning Catholic knows that there’s no comparison between living in the present, and living in the Presence. That’s the difference between the popular Buddhism-based mindfulness movement and the authentic Catholic version found in the devotions known as The Practice […]
Why God Can Do Your Resolutions Better Than You
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Spoiler alert! The moral of this blog is not to advise you to ask God for help before making your resolutions. That’s a no-brainer. The point is to show you, from first-hand experience, just how much better God can “do” our resolutions.
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