Author Archives: vplopez
My Weekly Prayer Intentions
Several years ago, I came up with this weekly schedule of prayer intentions that correlates with the mysteries of the rosary. Throughout each day I offer my “prayers, works, joys, and sufferings” for the following intentions. On Mondays we meditate on … Continue reading
Catholic and Christian: Surprise!
An important step on my journey to the Catholic Church was finding and reading Catholic and Christian: An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs by Alan Schreck (the 1984 version). It was the summer of 1999, and I was preparing … Continue reading
Life is a Parable
As Father David Kuetner explained in a homily at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church (Sunday, June 17, 2012), Jesus taught so much in parables because life is itself a parable. A parable is a story about something that we are familiar … Continue reading
My Journey to the Catholic Church
(The original version of this piece appeared in Fuller Theological Seminary’s student publication, the Semi, in 2004 under the title “From Campus Crusade to Catholicism.”) In the summer of 1999, I flew to Colorado to attend Campus Crusade for Christ’s … Continue reading
True Freedom
Two intriguing quotations pointing to true freedom: “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” (St. Augustine) “The laws of the Church preserve the freedom of the Holy Spirit.” (I read this on http://www.canonlaw.info: “Leges Ecclesiae … Continue reading
Handmaid of Your Handmaid
Luke 1:38 from the Vulgate: “dixit autem Maria ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum” Vanessa, consecrated to Jesus through Mary: “Ecce ancilla ancillae tuae (Behold, I am the handmaid of Your Handmaid).”
Full of Signs: A New Way of Seeing the World
I will never forget a moment during my sophomore year at Stanford when I first realized a new way of looking at the world. That year was one of great spiritual growth for me thanks to my involvement with Campus … Continue reading
Excerpt from “Why Practice Penance?”
As Catholics, we believe that God forgives us the guilt of sin because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, but we still need to deal with sin’s “temporal consequences” one way or the other (i.e., in this life through practicing … Continue reading
Spirit-Breath-Wind
I came across this passage in The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter (London: Harper Collins Publishers, 1997) that reminded me of a theological train of thought of mine: Barfield examined the history of words, and came to the conclusion that mythology…is … Continue reading
The Bible’s Best-Kept Secret?
I am starting to wonder if Mary may be the Bible’s best-kept secret. St. Louis de Montfort sure thought so: Even though Mary was his faithful spouse, God the Holy Spirit willed that his apostles and evangelists should say very … Continue reading
Summa Vanessae 