by Claire Dwyer | Sep 14, 2023 | Discernment, Spiritual Direction
My husband, riffling through the junk drawer, held up a fistful of keys. “Don’t you think it’s time you returned these to the parish?” “I forgot about those,” I said thoughtfully as I put my coffee in the microwave for the third time that morning. There were many...
by Claire Dwyer | Aug 11, 2023 | Discernment
I’d prayed. Thought. Asked for advice. Researched. Considered. Reconsidered. My anxieties and misgivings (you can’t do this; you’ll fail and everyone will see you fail; this will take too much time away from your family) pushed against the growing sense that this was...
by Claire Dwyer | May 21, 2023 | Holy Spirit, Liturgical year, Present Moment
If there’s one virtue I struggle with, it would be hope. In part because of my melancholic nature, my inner pendulum swings more toward pessimism. I see the difficulties before they arise, sigh with the weight of anticipated woes, expect disappointment around every...
by Claire Dwyer | Apr 21, 2023 | Creativity, Discernment, Saints, Writing
It’s Mother Angelica’s birthday today, April 20. She was born 100 years ago—grew up in a broken home, struggled with various painful illnesses, and was desperately poor. When I read her biography by Raymond Arroyo years ago, I was struck by the resilience of the...
by Claire Dwyer | Apr 16, 2023 | Mercy, pro-life, Saints
St. Gianna Molla is a woman recognized for her great final act of generosity to life. During her fourth pregnancy, when a tumor was found to be pressing on her uterus, she opted for the surgery that put her at greater risk but was the only choice in which her baby...