Posts by Celina Manville
Be Like Children!
“Let the children come to me!” Who says that? Maybe: A clown at a kids’ party? Santa Claus? Perhaps a Librarian at story time? Can you think of any more? Perhaps we can, or perhaps we don’t want to… Children require a lot of responsibility and work, and usually end up needing something that we…
Read MoreBecoming Simple
As we continue our spiritual journey of faith, we often struggle with the complexity of God. When we were young, we were taught that we can compare the Holy Trinity to a 3-leaf clover or shamrock…three persons in one God. Simple and easy to understand, but as we grow older, that definition seems childish, and…
Read MoreAlways Responding in Love…
Both the first reading and the Gospel today have one resounding message for us: To respond in authentic truth and love no matter the circumstances! In the first reading, St. Paul is appealing to the early Christians to live with great integrity. Even in hardships, they are encouraged to be exemplary models of truth and…
Read MoreWhich Way Do We Go?
Last summer, my husband, sister, and I spent twenty-three amazing days in Italy. It was a trip I had always dreamed of but never thought I would have the opportunity to do it. I will never forget one of my very favorite days. I had carefully mapped out how we would get from our Airbnb…
Read MoreSpy Wednesday
Betrayal can begin innocently as a question, a doubt, or a distraction. For Adam and Eve, it began with the question offered by the serpent: Did God really say, “You shall not eat from any of the trees of the Garden?” There the seed of doubt was planted. Wednesday of Holy Week is often referred…
Read MoreWhen God Shows Up!
There are moments in my life when I look on in awe – and think “Wow! God showed up!” While I often sense His nearness in small ways in the day-to-day, there are those times when I am caught up in the awe – the wonder of His glory. Yes, sometimes, those are situations where…
Read MoreBlessings Abound!
Today’s readings offer us an abundance of blessings. In the First Reading, we are given the assurance that when we trust in the Lord, we are truly blessed: “like a tree planted beside the waters,” we will be nurtured and sustained. The Responsorial Psalm echoes this and explains that when one meditates on the law…
Read MoreBe Like the Leper
I suppose it is a strange title or aspiration: Be like the leper! However, we will see why this leper is someone that serves as a model for all of us. It does not seem desirable to compare ourselves to a leper, upholding him as the standard, but there is much to be gained as…
Read MoreBy What Authority?
The scene in today’s Gospel is a direct challenge to Jesus’s authority. Recall the context of the event: It is just before the start of Holy Week. At the beginning of this chapter in Matthew, Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem where he knows he will be arrested and crucified. He sends two disciples to…
Read MorePray Always
“Pray always without becoming weary.” -Luke 8: 1 This thought-provoking message is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17: Pray without ceasing! The parable Jesus shares in today’s Gospel is to teach this lesson: Pray always! Have we ever wondered or meditated upon what this means? How can we truly pray without interruption? Is this even…
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