This past Sunday, I sat in Mass both crowded and slightly irritated as my 5-year-old poked me in the face with her palm for the fifteenth time. The Gospel was long, as I knew it would be, but I knew I needed it. The church is so wise to give us the Liturgical Seasons. We humans require built-in reminders of our need for Christ’s birth, our need for his death and our need for his resurrection. This year’s Palm Sunday reading from Matthew spoke a particular sentence that resona

A few weeks ago, my five year old, Maria, taught me the true meaning of Lent. Her younger sister, Clare, had an eye infection and administering her daily eye drops was a serious showdown. In an effort to bribe, I mean, motivate her, I handed over a sucker. I immediately felt guilty when I remembered that Maria had given up desserts for Lent. I watched as Maria took her sister’s wrapper and brought it to the trash. Coming back in the room, she said, “Mommy, while I was throwin