For most of my adult life I’ve tried to achieve some semblance of balance. I plan ahead, work ahead, and lay out what I need to do in order not to be swamped at the last minute. No matter how much I try, there are always those unexpected occurrences that lead to extra work. In […]
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People new to the Catholic faith are often fascinated by the “extraordinary” – tales of saints that lived outstanding lives, stories of miracles. They often ask about stigmata, such a tiny part of the beautiful history of the faith. But I’ve discovered a newfound appreciation for stigmata recently through the life of Francis of Assisi, […]
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This year for Christmas, our pastor gave parishioners rosaries he had brought back from his visit to the Holy Land. The rosaries were made by nuns out of wood from trees from there. I grabbed my rosary that night and said, “I’ve got a piece of the Holy Land!” The Rosary I’ve long given up […]
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Many say that the trauma of slaves remains embedded in their ancestors on a cellular level today. If that is true, then the trauma of slavery remained a part of the Hebrew nation throughout the Old Testament since the time of Moses. Theirs is a history of trauma that impacts their worldview. And so, trauma […]
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When you’ve spent as many years in ministry, studying and reflecting on the Gospels, as I have, you can begin to feel like you’ve heard it all. I’ve been through so many interpretations of Jesus, from stripping away all aspects that have accumulated over the centuries in search of the historical Jesus, to the Jesus […]
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Over the holidays I ran into the husband of a friend of mine who had died years ago. While catching up I mentioned that my daughter was working for a hospital computer software company. He remarked, if only the local hospital had had that software years ago, maybe his wife would be alive now. What […]
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Many do year-end reviews. Me, I’ve been finding myself looking back over my whole life lately. I’ve been wondering, did I ever imagine myself being where I’m at today? And what about the state of the world? It’s a far cry from what I had imagined as a young adult, protesting the nuclear weapons build-up […]
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Is it just me or does it bother anyone else that stores start playing Christmas music during Halloween, and then, on Christmas night, it all disappears? I remember a Christmas a few years ago, when I turned on the radio after 6p.m. on Christmas day and couldn’t find Christmas music anywhere. I mean, even the […]
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Some things bear repeating. And so, I’m repeating this blog post from Christmas 2011 – repetitions that delight! Relevant today as it was eleven years ago. Merry Christmas! Psalm 97 – Repetitions that Delight When my son, Dan, was a baby, he had one book he wanted me to read over and over and over, […]
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Advent is a season of great expectations. We dream about the perfect gift or the perfect Christmas celebration with family and friends gathered in peace and harmony. More often than not, those expectations are not met, but that’s okay. Advent – a season of unmet expectations – has a lot to teach us about disappointment. […]
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