Christian Community – Page 2

The miracle in the pot of soup

Sometimes it’s easy to get so busy looking for the big miracle that we miss the little ones. God answered a very specific, longstanding prayer of mine in a delivery of food: a miracle in a pot of soup.

Emotional suffering requires love

Emotional suffering is the true epidemic of our times. A hospital in Bronx offers a revolutionary, simple solution: love.

Three Good Things, or the vacation that wasn’t

Help doesn’t come when or how we want it, but it’s there. You can always find Three Good Things.

It is well with my soul

God has drawn beautiful goodness forth out of the rubble and ashes. He makes ALL things new, even the raggedy souls of beaten-down special needs mamas.

The sick and the suffering are a powerful icon of Christ

Everywhere we went in Lourdes, the gaze of the beloved was turned upon us. The effect of this gaze, on both the bestower and the object, was transformative.

One, holy, catholic, apostolic

On Sunday, we attended one of the weirdest, most uplifting Masses of my life in the ugliest basilica I have ever seen. It was a gorgeous mess.

The privilege of praying for others

This week, I have been chatting with various members of the Order of Malta as we prepare for our upcoming pilgrimage. Every single one of them has offered some variation on this theme: “Oscar’s presence will be such a blessing to us. It is our privilege to pray for you.” This seemed, at first, quite…

10 ways to love a special needs family

Every family faces a crisis at some point, and even close friends can feel uncertain how to help. Many of these tips may sound familiar and can apply to many crisis situations, special needs or otherwise. In our experience so far, here is what really helps. 1. Offer to pray. (And then actually do it.)…

The girl in the bubble

Lately, a troubling situation has been occurring with some regularity. Many of my friends, enduring trials and suffering of their own, explicitly downplay the seriousness of those situations in recounting them to me. They use phrases that are meant to acknowledge the profundity and difference of what we have endured this year; that acknowledgment, I…

On miracles

“How’s your prayer life?” This question was posed to me four separate times within the space of three weeks. When something like that happens, I assume that God is trying to get my attention.