A Dog’s Persistence
You won’t normally find Buddy without his bear. He proudly prances around with his tail wagging, nudging our legs to let us know that he has the bear and isn’t that the best thing that could be happening at this moment?! Join me in my joy, he says.
Say It Loud and Clear
Then Jesus asked his followers, “Who do you say that I am?” How often do I, like Peter, think as the world does and not as God does? In a world with so many opinions that contradict the Gospels, it’s easy to hear and follow a voice that is not God’s voice.
Did Jesus Really Mean That?
This Lent, I’m trying something new. I’m praying to see those I find difficult to love as God sees them. I can’t say that it affects immediate change in me. In fact, I think that it’s a process and applies to one person at a time. It does tend to slow down my judgment of others. It helps me to bend toward compassion.
A Fragment of Light in You, In Me
There is a fundamental truth that underlies how I see the world and my place in it. It is that God first loved me, forgave me, embraced me as I am, and continues to give me abundant love and mercy every day of my life. Believing this, I am compelled by Jesus in the Gospel (Luke 6:27-38) to treat others in the way that God treats me. It’s not how I think I should treat others or whether or not I feel someone deserves my love and mercy, but how God treats me and every other person in this world.
Expanding Our Circle
Most of us feel overwhelmed from time to time. I recognize that for you, the overwhelm may be of a different nature than my own, though no less important. The overwhelm, for me, stems from my concerns at a national and global level as well as my relationships with and love for my neighbor. Particularly, how can I in this moment love and serve my neighbor?
Can We Walk the Road Together?
We recently celebrated the conversion of St. Paul (Jan. 25) as a Church. How important it is for us to walk together on this road. We are all called to conversion. Metanoia (Greek word for turning, changing course) requires that I turn around and change direction toward God, that I listen deeply and consider another way. Every person has his or her own story to tell and road to travel, except we are never alone. By God’s unearned gift of grace and the fellowship of people on the road, we can take the steps needed to become the people we were created to be. We need one another.
Unwrap the Gift
Steadfast presents.
Presence.
God came to dwell among us.
Settle. Reside. Stay.
God came to stay.
Remain.
Is this the Incarnation?
Steadfast presence
Of God who, even now,
Remains
Today.
The Light Within
Candlelight transforms a room. Growing up, we lit the tapers right before holding hands to pray, the smell of turkey wafting through the room. We’d stare into the flames as we each said out loud what we were thankful for. The prayers, honest and beautiful, held the space in a moment of peace and joy.
We Are Flailing
Today, we consume an inordinate amount of information without time to process any of it: truth (facts) and a constant stream of misinformation and outright lies. It’s difficult to know what is important, true and meaningful. Yet, Paul believes that we can know the truth. It begins with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus did not preach an ideology, but the words of life that transcended all the cultural and political realities of his day.
A Prayer for Perspective & Trust
My Lord and God,
Remind me today, and everyday, that you alone are God who created this world and universe. Help me not forget that by your hand and your will I was created with love and for love. That even on election day, you reign. Remind me that I am human, that all candidates are human, and that whoever “wins” this election is not You. I am flawed, imperfect, and searching just as who or what I vote for.
Nothing is Hidden
I’m pretty thorough when it comes to cleaning dishes, but every now and again some grime is left on the inside of a bowl. So, I go back and clean it again. Who likes a dirty dish? Even Jesus hated dirty dishes. He questioned the Pharisees and lawyers in his day who focused intently on their purity rituals. Jesus poignantly used the metaphor to accuse them of cleaning the outside of the dish, but leaving the inside neglected. In the Hebrew world, the “inside” refers to the heart, but not the way we think of it in our Western culture.
Too Busy in the Kitchen
Mary, Martha’s sister, just sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his words (Luke 10:38-42). She just sat there, hearing the words of eternal life. Can you imagine it? And he says that she chose the better part. Why would he say that? In the background, we can almost detect Martha mumbling to herself while she prepared a meal...
Prayer for Migrants & Refugees
A Prayer for Migrants and Refugees, written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Lessons From a Golden Retriever
In the tension of the tug-of-war between dog and child, I think of my relationships today, living in just enough creative tension to promote surprise and growth. As my children return to college for their senior year, the push and pull of our relationships naturally play out amidst my desire to make time stand still. I feel like I’m still learning from Lucky as I navigate this push and pull
Eucharistic Grace: Leftovers for the Taking
I don’t always pay attention to the leftovers. Jesus filled their stomachs and then filled their hearts with his Word. Jesus’ words even now continue to provide us what we need, so much so that it is too much to take in. He doesn’t only speak to certain people. God speaks to all who seek to know the truth that He alone can give.
You Can’t Paddle With a Stiff Neck
Someone has to lead in a canoe. In order to make it work, the person sitting in the front must listen and allow the person behind him to call the shots: paddle as directed even when it doesn’t make sense. I do better in the front of a canoe. Though I find I am sometimes inside my own head or I try to paddle independently, closed off to my friend’s voice. The Prophet Jeremiah calls this being stiff-necked.
Ode to an Over-Packer
It strikes me that God wants us to be free; free to speak the truth and to give with generous hearts, free to go where God wants us to go in order to proclaim, in our own unique way, that the Kingdom of God is now. We have so much baggage, literal and figurative: the many things we have accumulated, the things that keep us comfortable…I tend to approach it with a mindset of scarcity.
Resurrection Joy: One Step at a Time
Slowly processing my own father’s passing from this life, I am left wondering about my next steps. Mary Magdalene inspires me to step outside the tomb, to go forth proclaiming the Good News, in whatever way I decide. Along the way, I believe, my grief will become resurrection joy.
True Simplicity
In his final days, my father spent time with all ten of his children. With true simplicity, we spoke words of love and mercy, while we helped him let go with grace and peace.
What Will I Remember This Holy Week?
With steadfast intention, Jesus rode on an ordinary donkey into Jerusalem as thousands of Jews gathered to celebrate Passover. The crowds welcomed a king they believed would free them from oppression and tyranny. Yet, Jesus’ entrance amidst songs of “Hosanna!” proved a stark contrast to Pontius Pilate and the magnificent Roman army who entered Jerusalem with their earthly power and domination. They feared an uprising and were reminding the Jewish people just who was in charge. Jesus knew what he was doing. His kingdom was not of this world.