My Secret is Mine
“Secretum meum mihi,” (“my secret is mine.”) was St. Edith's Stein's cryptic response when her best friend asked why she converted. We serve up interviews, historical sketches, Bible studies, book reviews and essays for Catholic women. MY SECRET IS MINE is for women with an audacious hope: that the Messiah makes all things new.
Bible Study: Sibling Rivalry in the Desert (Numbers 12:1-15)
BIBLE STUDY: MIRIAM AND AARON AND SIBLING RIVALRY by Kristen West McGuire NUMBERS 12:1-15 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman; and they said, “Has the Lord indeed only spoken through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. Now, the man Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the Lord said to Moses, and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out,...
Interview: Lucille Canaday, a Singing Servant of God
INTERVIEW: LUCILLE CANADAY, A SINGING SERVANT by Kristen West McGuire (Lucille Canaday is a graduate of Eastern Washington University. She and her brother Omar wrote and recorded several CDs of music for causes ranging from breast cancer to tsunami relief. This interview was completed in 2007. Their tribute song for 9/11 All I Need is still on YouTube. ) Kristen: Your first song was a response to the September 11 tragedy. How did that come about? Lucille: One of my classmates lost her brother...
Essay: No Grumbling Allowed! Saints Benedict and Scholastica
NO GRUMBLING ALLOWED! SAINTS BENEDICT AND SCHOLASTICA by Kristen West McGuire Fish swim, birds fly…and children grumble. Whether it’s comparative dessert or chores, most children are uniquely qualified to comment on the relative inequities of family and society. Mothers shake their heads and sigh, trying to judge fairly and yet keep chaos at bay. The needs of the monastery (and domestic church) dictate a certain level of personal sacrifice, no matter how many monks and nuns reside within. I...
Historical Sketch: Jerome's Temper
SAINT JEROME'S TEMPER by Kristen West McGuire When you consider the nasty personal insults Jerome wrote during his long years of scholarship, the friends he managed to keep are notable evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit. For example, he sent St. Paula a letter rebuking her for her lack of faith in the resurrection while mourning the death of her daughter Blaesilla in 384: “When you were carried fainting out of the funeral procession, whispers such as these were audible in the crowd....
Book Review: My Antonia by Willa Cather
BOOK REVIEW: MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather by Kristen West McGuire Willa Cather is rightly remembered for her vivid descriptions, insightful observations and keen eye for detail. Readers familiar with the worlds she explored were never disappointed. My Antonia doesn’t relate the story of a different world, such as her acclaimed novel Death Comes for the Archbishop. It is an autobiographical ode to the Midwestern roots that she cherished. Protagonist Jim Burden is Cather’s stand-in. She also was...
Prayer Intentions for Career Advancement for Women
PRAY FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT FOR WOMEN by Kristen West McGuire Women enjoy a wider array of workplace opportunities today than 100 years ago. At the same time, many struggle to balance the demands of work and the demands of personal priorities such as religious observance, spouse and children, and mundane household tasks. Many women solve their time crunches by following non-traditional career paths. But this strategy rarely ends up in the corner office, in terms of prestige and salary. To...
Bible Study: Many Gifts and Talents - One Lord to Serve
BIBLE STUDY: I Corinthians 12:4-13 by Kristen West McGuire I Corinthians 12: 4-13 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to...
Interview: Amy Uelmen- Loving Jesus Even at the Office
INTERVIEW: AMY UELMEN- Loving Jesus Even at the Office by Kristen West McGuire (Amy Uelmen is a senior research fellow at Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. She was a founding director of the Institute on Religion, Law & Lawyer’s Work at Fordham University (2001-2011). Formerly an associate at large law firm, she also is a consecrated member of the Focolare community. This interview was completed in 2007.) Kristen: Where did you grow up? Amy: I grew up in Los...
Essay: Laying Down Your Life for a Friend - Saints Jerome, Paula and Eustochium
LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR A FRIEND - SAINTS JEROME, PAULA AND EUSTOCHIUM by Kristen West McGuire The young widow Paula and her daughter Julia Eustochium and a company of ascetic virgins abruptly left Rome in 385. Their friend Jerome quit the city a month previous, and discreetly awaited them in Cyprus. The gossips in Rome were correct; the group was headed to Palestine, together. They eventually settled in Bethlehem, and established two monasteries, including a scriptorium for Jerome’s...
Historical Sketch: The Location of the Upper Room
THE LOCATION OF THE UPPER ROOM by Kristen West McGuire The Upper Room served as a hiding place for the apostles in the days immediately following the crucifixion of Jesus. Understandably, they thought they might be next in line on Pontius Pilate’s hit list. Then, it was a place to ponder and praise the resurrection of Jesus. Small wonder Christians over the centuries have zealously sought out the actual room! Like many sites in the Holy Land, the building is sacred to Jews and Muslims as...
“Secretum meum mihi,” (“my secret is mine.”) was St. Edith's Stein's cryptic response when her best friend asked why she converted. We serve up interviews, historical sketches, Bible studies, book reviews and essays for Catholic women. MY SECRET IS MINE is for women with an audacious hope: that the Messiah makes all things new.