- By Melannie Svoboda SND
If you’re looking for an autobiography that weaves together great literature, fascinating medical science, a love story, and one that explores the meaning of life, then this is the book for you: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. It’s the story of a doctor on the verge of completing
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
(I wrote today’s reflection for Give Us This Day, March 2023 issue, published by Liturgical Press. The reflection is based on this past Sunday’s gospel of Jesus encountering the woman at the well [John 4:5-42]). Dear Sister, Thank you! Thank you for coming to the well that day to perform
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
One of the goals of Lent is to deepen our personal relationship with Jesus. To help all of us to do this, I have once again visited my vast collection of quotations and pulled out some quotes filed under “Jesus.” They are from a wide variety of authors. I hope
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Are you a complainer? Or do you follow of the rule: “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? Do you find yourself avoiding complainers? Or do you think complaining can be a good thing sometimes? To get help answering these questions, I’m turning to
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Have you watched any of the episodes of “The Chosen”? It is a multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus. The show has received high praise in some circles (I like it!) and has garnered a vast audience all over the world. The series was created by Dallas Jenkins
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Recently I watched an interview with Bishop Peter Storey, the former president of the Methodist Church of South Africa. Bishop Storey, who is white, lived under South Africa’s brutal system of apartheid. He worked closely with Bishop Desmond Tutu and others to dismantle apartheid. He was also involved in the
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Good and gracious God, It’s February. I don’t mean to be disrespectful (after all, you are the Author of All time), But February is definitely not my favorite month of the year. On my worst days, I might even ask you, “What good is February?”— except that it’s the shortest
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
I was praying in my living room a few mornings ago, sitting comfortably in my chair with my journal on my lap, when all of a sudden out of nowhere a lone fruit fly showed up. “Where in the heck did you come from?” I asked incredulously. He (or she)
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Most of us are probably familiar with the concept of “matching grants.” They can work in a variety of ways. If we contribute $100 to a non-profit like PBS, for example, they will sometimes have a company or donor who will match that donation. In other words, that company or
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
When we hear the word “penance,” we usually think of sacrifices we freely make for love of God: fasting during Lent, helping out at the parish fish fry, making a donation to the local food bank. But some penances seem thrust upon us by circumstances: working through difficulties in a
