My husband and I cared for a little 6 year old girl this weekend. She has a wonderful vocabulary and a maturity that is well beyond her years, so I enjoyed our conversations very much. Often, they revealed more than I expect. Her “step-mother,” and her father are not yet married, though considering it seriously, as ...
I just returned from a delightful vacation in Ireland. It was renewing to my husband and me to have 10 days alone together with no distractions, no obligations, only each other. We searched the beaches for shiny rocks, listened to the waves while lying on a down blanket on the beach. The sun was warm yet ...
JoAnne's
Dearest Mary, Holy one. I have known your name and story from the first days of my life. I never thought I had much in common with the Woman of the Sun. Then one day I realized how mistaken I had been, and so I come to tell you, I’m in love with your Son. ...
Nearly every day, I reflect on the great Mystery of the eternal gift of Christ in choosing to become our Paschal Lamb, in choosing to feed us with his own sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. During Mass, we receive what appears to be mere bread and wine. As Catholics, we believe that ...
Usually Easter is accompanied by chicks, bunnies, ducks and eggs. This year, a new Easter animal was added to the list. The Monastery held their Vigil Mass at 4:30AM. It included the intense Morning Prayers that the monks pray every day. The monks had been awake all night, not in prayer, but keeping vigil with ...
This week, the Vatican based news source, Zenit, posted an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s recent question and answer session. The Pope addressed a question that most people have certainly considered: “…An Italian mother named Maria Teresa explained that her son, Francesco, “has been in a vegetative coma since Easter Sunday 2009.” She asked the ...
Palm Sunday began Holy Week as as we gathered palms and recalled Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jeruselam. We find ourselves outside of time as we join with the mobs of adoring fans trying to get a glimpse of the now famous Jesus. His disciples must have felt great pride to be in the company of the man ...
JoAnne's, Uncategorized
These forty days are a journey as we follow the steps of Jesus. From the symbolism of the 40 days in the desert, we can become more aware of our spiritual selves by simplifying our lives. As there were no comforts in the desert, the call of the Church for fasting, abstinence and almsgiving provides the means to focus on ...
Tucked away in the rolling hills of Central Florida is a small Catholic monastery, where the monks live a quiet life of prayer. They support themselves by the work of their hands and pray for the intentions of the entire Church. Their beautiful bells can be heard tolling several times a day. The present accommodations at ...
by JoAnne Thorn “…Take these words of mine into your heart and soul…” (Deuteronomy 11:18, 26) I call myself Christian. I call myself Catholic. These words define me in a vague manner. But they do not fully describe my true self, the self known only to God. My most hidden motive behind every word and action ...
It took tremendous courage to accept the will of God knowing that people would suspect infidelity to her betrothal,...
But because of sin, the multitude of individuals that came forth from this couple inherited disunity and enmity towards...
