- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Today I have four short prayers for you. They are very different from each other, but perhaps you might find one of them expressing some of your own thoughts or feelings. Several years ago during my annual retreat, I was struggling with someone. I shared my struggles with my retreat
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
There are certain phrases I hear or read frequently that annoy me. One phrase is this: “in our troubled times.” It seems to imply that other times in the past were not troubled or, at least, not as troubled as our times are today. Other phrases are “in our polarized
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
A few months ago I featured a phrase from the Bible,”Gird your loins,” and explained what it meant. (See the post for February 23, 2026.) Today I’d like to focus on three other phrases found in scripture: the apple of your eye; amen, amen, I say to you; and you
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Alexander Pope, a prominent British poet of the 18th Century, penned these oft-quoted words: “Order is heaven’s first law.” (from An Essay on Man) Pope and many others of his day, believed we lived in a highly ordered and structured universe created by God “Himself.” They felt this “divine order”
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
It’s May! And this is the month the Catholic Church traditionally devotes to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. In honor of Mary, I am devoting today’s reflection to several paintings of Mary created by a single artist, Sister Maresa Lilley, a Sister of Notre Dame and good friend of mine.
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
My sister and I were going out for a walk. It was a little chilly, so we both donned our jackets. That’s when I noticed the large round badge pinned to her coat. It was a colored photo of the head of a vulture! “Mary Ann!” I said. “Why are
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
A little girl named Rachel lived with her parents in a small apartment in New York City. One day, her grandfather came to visit carrying a small paper cup. Rachel hoped there was a treat for her inside the cup, but when she looked inside, all she saw was dirt.
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
It’s National Poetry month. To celebrate, I am offering you four short poems–three by friends and one by me. All the poems have a spring theme. I suggest you read each poem aloud, as poetry is meant to be read. The first poem is by Bishop Robert Morneau of Green
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Now that we’re celebrating the hope-filled feast of Easter, it is only fitting that we include a little humor in our festivities. For I believe that wholesome laughter can feed our virtue of hope. But I’ll say more about that on another day. For today, I hope these jokes, puns,
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
(Eight years ago I posted a true story about a turtle, written by Barbara Brown Taylor. It’s from her book Learning to Walk in the Dark. Here is that story again with a few minor changes. I still believe this story is very fitting for what we celebrate in our
