Love is the way
This morning, the words, “bombs and war”, took my breath away. And I needed not to be undone by the headwinds of dispiriting news.In our morning session, I stood before a group gathered for retreat at Mercy Center in Auburn,…
To bless and be blessed
An eleven-year-old girl lived with her grandmother. Labeled "different," adjustment to school was not easy. Her mother was not a reliable presence. As if life is not tough enough, her father had been recently killed. She knew him only vaguely,…
The gift of fire
A long time ago, there was a man who invented the art of making fire. He took his tools and visited a tribe in the north, where the climate was bitter cold. The man taught the people how to make…
I choose to be a witness
“Please, tell me how to hold it all?” she asks me in an email.In other words, in a fragile world, how do we rise above the weight of the noise? And, is it even possible to make a difference?My gut…
Now is the time
In her delightful book, Life is a Verb, Patti Digh writes about a visit to Washington D.C. She has traveled to meet her husband, David. Her flight arrives in the afternoon, so they decide to grab a cup of tea…
Contagious Courage
Cruelty and unkindness hurt my heart. And with an inundating loop of news stories, it is too easy to viscerally react, or somehow feel at the mercy of. And a part of me wants to shut down.“Courage is one of…
Voices of Mercy
With sadness for his passing, and gratitude for the light he spilled in our world, I watched Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday.In his homily, Cardinal Giovanni Re said, “Pope Francis always placed the Gospel of mercy at the center.”Francis’ papal…
Peace in ourselves
Reading the news these past days, I could feel hope drain. And a lot of certainties felt upended.When life is upside down and pain is real, I can close my eyes and pretend that life is different. And I get…
You are a light
I saw a friend at the grocery store today.”You look tired.” he said.“Yeah,” I replied. “Yesterday was a long week.”These days are dog years for human beings with working empathy.(Thank you John Pavlovitz)Yes, it is easy to get discombobulated. Off-kilter.…
May love guide our steps
On my walk this morning, the geese are huddled, no doubt wishing they had headed south for the winter.“I get it,” I tell them.And since the geese weren’t in a hurry to scurry off, I decided a brief homily wouldn’t…