In Cana of Galilee…


When are you having an amniocentesis?

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This question to a 46-year old pregnant woman is so common it deserves some attention here. My response is quite naturally that I don’t do amniocentesis. And then the surprise reaction, “but isn’t it compulsory at your age?” Amniocentesis is an invasive pre-natal diagnosis that holds a minimum risk of miscarriage (generally 1 out of 100 to 300, depending on the expertise of the doctor and the gestation period) and has a sole purpose – to detect genetic malformations in the baby, or to say it plainly, to check if the baby has Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). There are diseases(…)

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Mothers on their knees

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One of the passages that touched me in the Dorothy Day autobiography, The Long Loneliness, refers to an apparently insignificant episode during Dorothy’s infancy. Dorothy Day grew up in the USA in 20th Century, in a family without religion. Around her there were catholics, episcopalians and evangelists, and the churches with their hymns held a great fascination for the young Dorothy although she never went in. Her conversion happened much later, after a failed romance, an abortion, a new romance and a baby in her arms. And the leap to sainthood, an unquestionable sainthood, would start exactly there with the(…)

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Surprise

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Dinner-time, end of May. I place a beautiful red box on the table tied up with a bow. A present for everyone. The kids come into the kitchen and take a seat. “What’s this Mum?” they ask. “Is it a box of chocolates?” But Frankie looks over at Clare: “Where have I seen a box on the dinner table before?! Clare, I think we’ve seen a few scenes like this before… Is it possible?!” I try to look serious. “No, it’s not chocolates. It’s a Christmas present:” “Christmas?”. Now curiosity is raging. “Sara will be the one who has the(…)

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Graces or disgraces?

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Recently, on my birthday, my mother was here in my house telling me how she remembered the happy day 46 years ago when she picked me up in her arms for the first time. Beside her, in the maternity ward, was another mother, a mother of six children who were never born. Yes, that’s right, beside my mother there was a woman recovering from her sixth miscarriage… My mother still remembers today her face and the tenderness with which she looked at me. In life, and cost what it may to believe, everything is a gift. Both fertility and infertility.(…)

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Life, Death, Love…and no more wine!

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Yesterday was a celebration here in our house: the Parliament in Portugal rejected draft legislation on euthanasia, and the victory of life must be celebrated. But the celebration wasn’t as great as it might have been for it was clouded by the resounding defeat of life in our other country, Ireland, at the end of last week. Niall especially, who loves his country, has suffered terribly with the news coming out of there. How was it possible, and above all, how do the Irish justify the celebrations, the euphoria, the victory cries in the face of rivers of innocent blood(…)

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Soldier of Christ

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On Sunday the 27th Clare received the sacrament of confirmation. Such great joy there was here at home! At last Clare completed her Christian identity having received all three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. By her side, Francisco was the privileged sponsor. Because her Godparents from baptism couldn’t be there on the day, Clare asked her brother, himself confirmed three years ago, to be beside her. What does a confirmation sponsor do? Just this: he is a witness to the fact that Clare is ready to receive the sacrament, and he’s available to accompany her in her faith.(…)

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Our Lady Help of Christians

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Today, May 24th, is the feast day of Mary Help of Christians. Here at home we celebrate this day with a cake and by going to Mass, naturally. The Salesian school that David attends organized a trip to Fatima today, as part of a bigger pilgrimage that includes students, teachers and staff who want to give thanks to Mary for the gift of their schools that they consecrate to her every year. I grew up with a strong devotion to Our Lady but did not really ever invoke Mary Help of Christians, a devotion that was little heard of in(…)

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What’s the price of a medal?

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One weekend recently we took the family to Braga to watch the first international artistic gymnastics tournament to be held in Portugal at 2nd division level. Clare was going to compete in the four events, balance beam, vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. Clare has been doing gymnastics almost since she learned to walk. At home, of course! At the age of four, five, six…, we became used to seeing her doing cartwheels and handstands alone in the garden and in her room. We watched her grow, tumble after tumble, learning aerials from Youtube and back handsprings with her PE(…)

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Novena for Pentecost

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The great day of Pentecost is quickly approaching. In our house we started to pray a Novena for Pentecost on Ascension Sunday, invoking the Holy Spirit and His seven gifts each day. It’s a magnificent way to deepen our understanding about the Spirit and about what the Bible and the Church say about Him. And it’s also a great way to teach our younger kids, because once they’ve listened to the prayer two or three times they begin to memorise the different gifts and fruits mentioned. Try it out! You can find it on the Prayers page in the From(…)

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The Families of Cana in English

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Today, May 13th, the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord, and the Day of Our Lady of Fatima, we have a special gift to offer Mary. We wanted to present it on this day as an act of thanksgiving because, as St. John Bosco said, “it was She who did it all!” We wanted to present it on this day, asking for the intercession of the youngest saints of the Church, Saint Jacinta and Saint Francisco Marto. After all, just like the little shepherds in Fatima, the children who grow up in Families of Cana, with a rosary beads(…)

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