A Balloon at Mass March 3, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window As we turned to leave Mass, I saw that a little boy in the back had snagged a balloon.
Gratitude at the grocery store March 1, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window A few months ago, I noticed that our grocery store no longer had hand-held shopping baskets. If you wanted to shop, you had to use one of the large rolling grocery carts.
A Lenten lesson from a bicyclist February 22, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window Lent is young, and we have such a beautiful opportunity to grow in love for Jesus in the days ahead. What a wonderful journey this can be.
A time to come home February 14, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, Lent, The Domestic Church Whatever this Lenten season brings for us, may we trust that God is longing to be closer to each of us, surrounding us with his love, and inviting us into the comfort and joy of a deeper relationship with him.
Remembering our Valentine’s Day proposal February 12, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Lent, Open Window I knew he had the ring. I knew he was going to propose that night.
How Toby Keith’s Music and Faith Inspired Me February 6, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window, Uncategorized When I saw that Toby Keith had passed away at 62, I was stunned. Somehow it didn’t seem possible. I’m a country music fan, and his music was part of the soundtrack running in the background of my life. I remember listening to his music with my sister Treasa during the ’90s when he was […]
A Goal for 2024 January 30, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Then I thought of going to Mass. I should be able to get to 100 Masses over the next 12 months.
Why did the colleague cross the road? January 23, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window It was sunny and cold. Somehow it felt even colder because of the graying snow lining the curbs. I was leaving work, and I had just texted my son to let him know I was on my way. Just getting out of my parking spot into the flow of traffic was a challenge, with a […]
Nighttime conversations with children and God January 15, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window The wonder of the Bible reading might be that—even though he’s tired and half-asleep—Eli realizes that God is calling Samuel and tells him how to respond the next time he hears the voice. Eli tells Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
The saint you need for January January 13, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window In the dreariness of January, we might be feeling kind of meh. Well, it turns out there’s a saint for that.
Guide us to thy perfect light January 6, 2024By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window Some days we might be like the shepherd in the fields, meeting God unexpectedly without warning. Other days we might be more like the wise men, following a star, looking for God and answering his invitation to be with him.
Head into the adventure of the New Year December 29, 2023By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Blog, Commentary, Open Window As we prepare to begin a new year, I know that the days might not seem all that different on the other side of midnight on January 1. But they also await us with wonder, holding new opportunities and new discoveries.