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The Sign of the Cross: Where It Comes From, Why We Use It, and Its Place in Morning Prayer

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  From Morning Prayer: The Breviary indicates multiple times during prayer that require making the sign of the cross. The Sign of the Cross is one of the oldest and most recognizable gestures in Christianity. It is simple enough for a child to learn, yet profound enough to summarize the entire mystery of the Trinity and the saving work of Christ. Its history stretches back to the earliest Christian communities, and its use today remains just as central—especially in the Church’s daily prayer. 1. Where the Sign of the Cross Comes From — and Why Early Christians Used It The Sign of the Cross is ancient—far older than most formal liturgical structures. Early Christian writers testify that believers were marking themselves with the cross long before the Church developed the rites we know today. Earliest Evidence Tertullian (c. 200 AD) describes Christians tracing a small cross on their foreheads “in all our actions… when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash, at our meals, ...
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🐾 Caturday: Help! My Cat Peed in My Trash Can… and I Accidentally Performed a Science Experiment

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  Some cats knock things off counters. Some cats steal food. Mine? Mine sneaks into the trash can when the cleaner isn’t looking and leaves a surprise that could peel paint. Naturally, I grabbed what I thought was vinegar to cut the smell, added hot water, and created a dramatic cloud of steam worthy of a Victorian ghost story. Spoiler: it wasn’t vinegar. It was bleach. The good news: • The cat is fine. • I am fine. • The trash can is now clean enough to perform surgery in. The lesson: Cats will pee anywhere. Humans will grab the wrong bottle. And bleach plus hot water makes a very theatrical fog machine. Happy Caturday from my household to yours — may your trash cans stay dry and your cleaning products stay correctly labeled. Learn more about cats. See our many  Caturday  posts. Be entertained. See all our posts about  cats . Be inspired. See posts by and about  Sula , parish cat, and her books. Have a chuckle. Read posts by and about Jeremy Feig's award-winn...
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Finding Joy in Adversity

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  Joy in adversity is not a contradiction; it is a mystery. It is the quiet strength that rises when everything else falls away. It does not erase pain or pretend it isn’t there — it simply refuses to let pain define the whole story. When life narrows, joy becomes small but fierce. It might appear as a moment of laughter in the middle of grief, a sunrise that feels like mercy, or the steady heartbeat of faith when nothing makes sense. These are not escapes from suffering; they are glimpses of grace within it. Joy in adversity begins with surrender — not giving up, but giving over. When we stop demanding that life be easy and start trusting that God is present even here, we begin to notice small resurrections: a kind word, a breath of peace, a strength we didn’t know we had. Each is a spark of joy, proof that grace still moves. This kind of joy is resilient. It grows in the cracks, blooms in the dark, and teaches us that love is stronger than loss. It is the joy that Jesus carried t...
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