Excellence in Architecture–and in Life
Once I was reading an article on architects. (I enjoy reading articles on things I know little or nothing about!) In it, the author was trying to discover what distiguished the really good architects from the medicore ones. Her conclusion? It was not the fact that good architects did things right the first time. No, it was “their willingness to revise, rework, redo.”
Isn’t this what determines excellence in almost every field, whether it’s cooking, writing, painting, leadership, gardening, music, or athletics? Take football. How many hours does a really good quarterback practice throwing passes or handing off the football? Excellent quarterbacks are willing to change their stance, revise their footwork, adjust their throwing, tweak their timing, submit to a new game plan–all in an attempt to become better at what they do.
Michelangelo, as far as I know, never excelled as a quarterback. But he did excel as an artist. He said to someone who envied his work, “If you knew how hard I worked at this, you might not think it was so wonderful.” Similarly, a woman once said to the great violinist Fritz Kreisler, “I’d give my life to play as beautifully as you!” Kreisler replied, “Madam, I have!”
As Christians, we are all called to excel in the spiritual life. We can even say, we are called to be good architects–architects of ourselves. St. Paul posed this question for the Corinthians, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16) We are all fashioning ourselves (with God’s grace, of course!) into a temple from the materials life bestows upon us. What materials? Our talents, limitations, background, relationships, good luck, bad luck, education, health, age, life experiences, etc. How hard are we willing to work at this fashioning? Are we totally content with ourselves and with the way things are? Do we say to ourselves, “This is me… I’ve always been this way… I’m too old, too tired… The demands of the Christian faith are just too hard for me.” Have we turned a legitimate rest along the road of life into a permanent stop? Or are we still engaged in the journey of life? Are we still listening to God’s call to revise, rework, and redo ourselves?
Jesus encourages revisions. In fact, he continuously calls us to conversion. His call is nothing less than the call to revise our behavior… to rework our attitude… to redo our priorities. He calls us to expand our heart… to continue to learn… to serve others… to forgive… to let go… and to find creative ways to contribute our small share of “goodness” to promote the common good. In the spiritual life, as in most worthwhile endeavors, it is never too late to make a few changes. It is never too late to strive for greater excellence.
Prayer: Jesus, give me the patience, the wisdom, and the strength to follow your call to conversion today.
For reflection:
Is there anything in your life right now that Jesus might be calling you to revise, rework, or redo?
For you personally what are some of the things that get in the way of heeding Jesus’ call to conversion?
Give yourself credit for some of the “revisions” you have made throughout your life to become a better person, a better Christian. Can you name a few?
The temple we are becoming may not look like St. Peter’s basilica. It may look more like this precious little house… (Photo by Kdibrik – Pixabay)
Sometimes it’s easier to see Jesus’ call to extraordinary individuals rather than to more ordinary individuals like ourselves. So today I chose a short video that shows that day, May 8, 2025, when Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, originally from Chicago, was elected the 267th Pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Talk about a dramatic call from Jesus! I was struck by the somewhat “ordinary-looking” human being who stepped out onto the balcony that day. Understandably, he was emotional as tens of thousands of people–at the first sight of that white smoke–managed to get themselves to St. Peter’s Square to see and cheer for our new Pope. At one point, Pope Leo even seems to sniffle a little. In the background you will hear some contemporary chant saying: “Jesus, you call me by name… May I hear your voice… You love me, Jesus… Thank you Jesus.” You will see the new Pope’s motto: “In Illo, Uno Unum,” the words of St. Augustine, “In the One, we are one.” His coat of arms includes the crossed keys of St. Peter, the lily against a background of blue (a tribute to Mary), a heart pierced by an arrow, the emblem of his Order the Augustinians, and the book representing the Word of God.
May the words of the chant become our own: “Jesus, you call me by name… May I hear your voice… You love me Jesus… Thank you, Jesus.”
(Disclaimer: I am recommending only the video below on Pope Leo’s election day. I am not recommending any of the other videos that pop up automatically after this one. Viewer discretion is advised.)
Do you remember where you were when you heard we had a new Pope–and he was an American? What were some of your thoughts and feelings?
If you had a coat of arms, what would you put on it?
I welcome your comments on the reflection, the pictures, the video. Thank you!
The Wisdom of John Muir
John Muir has many descriptive titles. He’s been called a naturalist, author, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, environmental philosopher, inventor, mountaineer, co-founder of the Sierra Club, and Father of our National Parks. His biographer Steven Holmes, added another title: the patron saint of 20th Century American environmental activity. So, who was this extraordinary man?
John Muir (1838-1914) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was eleven. The family settled on a farm in Portage, Wisconsin. While attending the University of Wisconsin, he signed up for a botany course. In class one day, under a towering locust tree, a fellow student picked a flower from the tree and explained how this gigantic tree was a member of the pea family. Muir wrote, “This fine lesson charmed me and sent me flying to the woods and meadows with wild enthusiasm.”
Muir eventually dropped out of college and enrolled in “the university of the wilderness.” He walked 1,000 miles from Indiana to Florida, enjoying and studying nature the entire way. Having contracted malaria in Florida, he was prevented from walking to South America as he had planned. When he recovered, he walked instead to Calfornia where he worked at several jobs to support himself. Muir saw nature not merely as a practical benefit for humankind–trees to give us lumber, mountains to give us coal. He saw nature as something valuable for its own sake. He also appreciated nature for the spiritual qualities it possessed. Seeing Yosemite for the first time, he wrote: “No temple made by hands can compare with this.”
Muir was keenly aware of the connectedness of all things, writing, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” He fought to save areas from human development. The preservation of Yosemite as a national park is one of his greatest achievements. In 1880 he married Louisa Strentzel with whom he had two daughters. For ten years he helped manage his father-in-law’s 2600 acre orchard in California. But he always yearned to return to the wilderness on a regular basis. His understanding wife would shoo him away so he could get his dose of nature. Sometimes, he took one of his daughters with him.
When Muir was offered a teaching position at Harvard, he turned it down saying, “I never for a minute thought of giving up God’s big show for a profship.” His later years were devoted to writing, an occupation he found challenging–even though he wrote over 300 articles and 10 major books. He once complained, “This business of writing books is a long, tiresome, endless job.” He thought prose was “a weak instrument for the reality he wished to convey.” He believed, “One day’s exposure to mountains is better than a cartload of books.” Thank goodness, his wife supported and encouraged his writing, for even today his essays and books are still widely read. I will close with one of my favorite quotes from this remarkable man: “Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.”
For reflection:
Have you ever heard of John Muir before? If so, when and where?
Did anything stand out for you about John Muir?
Have you experienced the healing power of nature in your life? When and where?
I chose for our video today Susan Boyle singing the refrain from the hymn “How Great Thou Art.” The nature scenes are just the kind that John Muir devoted his life to preserving for future generations.
(Disclaimer: I am recommending only Susan Boyle’s video. I am not recommending the other videos that automatically pop up after this video. Viewer discretion is advised.)
I invite you to write a comment below on the refection, the photos, the video…
“What Are You Doing Here?”
Recently I was reflecting on the story of the prophet Elijah hiding in the cave. You are probably familiar with the story. Elijah is running for his life. He has angered the “wicked” queen Jezabel, and she has sent her henchmen to find him and kill him (1 Kings: 19:1-18). Shortly after crawling exhaustedly into the cave, Elijah hears a voice. It is God who asks him, “What are you doing here?”
I think that’s a very good question to hear God asking of us–as we sit down to pray each day, as we settle into our pew before Mass, or as we enter our place of work each day whether that place is our home, office, manufacturing plant, store, school, hospital–or wherever.
This is the question I like to hear God asking me when I begin my prayer. I find myself answering this question in a wide variety of ways. Here are some sample answers to that question. Maybe you might find yourself in some of these answers. Or maybe these answers might generate your own answers to this question.
+ I’m here to praise You and give thanks to You for all the blessings in my life–beginning with the gift of life itself.
+ I’m here to reset my “spiritual GPS” before I venture into this brand new day, a day I have never lived before, and a place I have never been before.
+ I’m here to speak my heart to You–not just my mind. Help me find the words.
+ I’m hear to listen to You speak to me. Please speak loudly and slowly and clearly, so I might begin to understand what You might be saying to me. Let me listen with the ears of my heart as well as my mind.
+ I’m here to get some peace, some rest, some encouragement.
+ I’m here to report to You… to debrief… to say, “So, that’s where I am now. What’s next?”
+ I’m here to say “I’m sorry” to You for: (pick any!) my ingratitude… impatience… crabbiness… self-centeredness… greed… pride… judging others… lack of trust in You… laziness…
+ I’m here to get the courage to say “I’m sorry” to someone I’ve slighted… taken for granted… offended… spoken harshly to…
+ I’m here with my heart filled with suffering humanity whose faces I see every time I close my eyes. I am overwhelmed… I feel powerless… so I’m bringing them all to You.
+ I’m here to ask, to plead, to beg, even to grovel for your help.
+ I’m here to hide (temporarily) from the storm I’m experiencing right now… and the storms happening all over our hurting world.
+ I’m here to grieve the loss of ___ whom I’m missing so much today.
+I’m here to have some fun with You, to play a little, to find some reasons to laugh. After all, the great St. Teresa of Avila heard You say to her once when she went to prayer: “Enjoy me!”
+ I’m here just to be in silence with You for a little while, knowing that “silence” is often Your preferred way of comunicating with us.
+ I’m here to say to You again–as I’ve been trying to say ever since I uttered my very first prayers to You: “I love You THIS MUCH!”–with my arms extended as far and wide as they will reach.
For reflection:
Do any of these answers resonate with your own experience?
How would YOU answer God’s question, “What are you doing here?”
Did any of today’s photos speak to you?
And here’s a question I have for you: “What are you doing here–reading this blog?” (I’m curious what your answer might be. That’s all…)
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PS: Our annual Chicken Barbecue & Boutique will be held on this coming Sunday September 28 from noon until 5:00 on the NDCL Campus, 13000 Auburn Road, Chardon, OH. Go to our website for details: sndusa.org. I’ll be at the “Book Nook” in the boutique from noon until 3:00. I’ll be selling my books at a discount–and I’m giving a few of my books for FREE! Stop and say hello!
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Sometimes a song answers the question: “What are you doing here?” I think this song does. It’s “I Need You” by Matt Maher. I sometimes play this song to reset my “spiritual GPS.”
(Reminder: I am recommending this video by Matt Maher. I am not necessarily recommending any of the other videos that appear after this video. Please use your discretion.)
I invite you to comment on this reflection below… I know how much my readers enjoy reading all the comments!
Do You Have Any Pet Scapegoats?
(Introduction: September 28 is World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The Church has celebrated this day since 1914. That’s 111 years! I wrote this reflection not with that day in mind. But after I wrote it, I realized the words below are indirectly related to this day, a day on which the Church calls us to “empthy and action” on behalf of migrants and refugees all over the world.)
I’ve been reflecting on scapegoats lately. As you know, a scapegoat is a person or group who is blamed for the wrong doings, mistakes, faults, or sins of others. The word goes back to the Bible (Leviticus 16) when the Jewish leader would symbolically lay the sins of the people onto a goat who would then be banished into the desert to die. The people were in effect saying, “Good riddance, goat! Good riddance all our sins and wrong doings! Now we’re pure again!” (Poor goats!)
History is replete with scapegoats. Witches (usually women) were blamed for the Black Death in the Middle Ages as well as the evils in 17th century Salem, Massachesetts. (Within one year, 200 people in Salem were accused of witchcraft, 20 were executed.) Perhaps the most blatant example of scapegating in recent memory occured in Nazi Germany when Hitler blamed Germany’s economic problems mainly on the Jews. In essence he promised, “Get rid of the Jews, and Germany will thrive again!” Before it was over, 6 million human beings (mostly Jews) were systematically put to death in horrific ways. Throughout history, a common scapegoat has aways been immigrants who are accused of “polluting” the particular nation’s “pristine goodness.” Sometimes individuals have become scapegoats–such as Socrates, Marie Antoinette, and (some argue) even Jesus. More about that later.
Psychologists tell us that scapegoating has its roots in a phenomonon known as displacement. Psychologist Neel Burton, in Psychology Today writes, that displacement occurs when “uncomfortable feelings such as anger, frustration, envy, guilt, shame, insecurity are redirected onto another, often a more vulnerable person or group.” When this happens, those uncomfortable feelings are temporarily replaced “by a crude but consoling sense of affirmation and self-righteous indignation.” Just look at many of our mass shooters or assassins. If you read their “manifestos” you will often see how their scapegoating led them to the awful killing of people they considered “the source of our evil.”
How do we deal with this “deep-seeded impulse to scapegoat”? Here are a few ways:
+ by acknowedging scapegating’s existence in our contemporary world–and even acknowledging the tendency within ourselves.
+ by humbly acknowledging our own sinfulness. Let’s face it, most of you who read this blog are basically good people. But even good people can do bad things, make mistakes, be judgmental, be swayed by irrational thinking, or be selfish at times. How do we “atone” for these failings within ourselves? By making amends or asking for forgiveness–or by buying another goat?
+ by dealing in a healthy way with the inevitable tensions that come with being a human being and with trying to live in harmony with other human beings–some of whom are very different from ourselves. It takes only a few minutes to find a scapegoat for society’s problems and our personal problems. It takes a lifetime of hard work to strive to live and work in harmony with other flawed human beings–and with our own flawed self.
+ by learning to deal with our “uncomfortable feelings.” What do we do with our feelings of insecurity, shame, anger, sexual tension, frustration, fear, envy, guilt? Do we bring these to our prayer? Do we find some trusted others–counselors, spiritual directors, confessors, good friends–with whom we can discuss and deal with these feelings?
Fr. Ronald Rolheiser has written several columns on scapegoating. He says, “Christianity is the only religion which worships the scapegoat, the one who is hated, excluded, spat upon, blamed for everything, ridiculed, shamed, and made expendable.” But notice how Jesus responds to the terrible puishments being inflicted upon him. He doesn’t lash out against the perpetrators. He absorbs the evil and transforms it into new life–ultimately by forgiving the perpetrators. His mother Mary also “stands” by the cross and watches her son being put to death. Throughout the Gospel, Mary is shown “pondering” the events of her life. Says Rolheiser, “To ponder in the Biblical sense means to hold, carry, and transform tension so as not to give back in kind.” We see this response not only in Jesus and Mary, but others such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, Fr. Daniel Berrigan, Sr. Dorothy Stang, and many others.
My prayer for all of us is this:
Loving Jesus, help us to follow in your footsteps as we deal with the inevitable tensions of daily living. Let us be men and women of humility, not arrogance or pride. Help us to be mindful of our own failings and sinfulness, rather than projecting them onto others. May we find healthy ways to deal with the uncomfortable feelings that sometimes assail us–such as anger, frustration, envy, lust, guilt, shame, fear. Give us the love and courage it takes to do the hard work of working together to make our world a better place. And finally, we ask for your mother’s gift of pondering… that we may reflect on the events and happenings in our daily life, so that we may find your presence and life-giving actions within them. Amen.
For reflection:
Did anything stand out for you in this reflection?
Have you ever witnessed a person or a group being treated as a scapegoat?
Have you ever felt you were being treated as a scapegoat?
How do you deal with uncomfortable feelings?
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We Sisters of Notre Dame will host our annual chicken barebcue and boutique on Setember 28 on the campus of NDCL in Chardon. Check our website (sndusa.org) for details. Come and join us and enjoy a delicious dinner and shop at our boutique. I will be at the Book Nook in the boutique (in the school cafeteria) from noon until 3:00. Sister Kathleen Glavich and I will be selling our books–some at a discount. Plus I’ll have a few of my “gently used” books I’ll be selling at drastically reduced prices. And both Sr. Kathleen and I will even be giving a few of our books away FREE.
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Here is a very simple song that asks for forgiveness. It’s called “Forgive Me Lord,” and it’s produced by Surgenor Music.,
(I am recommending only the video “Forgive Me, Lord.” I am not necessarily recommending the other videos that appear after this one. Discretion is advised.)
I invite you to leave a comment below:
Little Kernels of Spiritual Nourishment
As you know, I read alot. Besides reading scripture everyday, I also pray with small periodicals that nourish my prayer–such as Living Faith, Living with Christ, and Give Us This Day. In addition, I always have several books by my reading/prayer chair. Often I come across little kernels of nourishment, a sentence or two, that comfort, challenge, puzzle, or inspire me. I will share fifteen of these little recent kernels with you today.
1. “O Lord…incline your ear to me” (Ps. 71:2) When I prayed these words I thought: Sometimes my prayer begins with a loud “PSST!” directed toward God!
2. “As Christians, we are NOT free to not care about others.” Rev. Miranda Hassett, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, online somewhere.
3. I do not think we are ever without fear…. It is being able to endure the fear and still know that God is with us in our fears…. Perhaps that’s really what faith is–to be able to believe though we are afraid.” Theresa Kane, Sister of Mercy, from Give Us This Day, August 22, 2025, p. 232.
4. “Because of Ruth’s kindness, she changed from a foreigner to an ancestor of David, Israel’s first dynastic King.” Patricia Livingston, Living Faith, August 23, 2025. I thought: with my family history, I am VERY close to being a foreigner in this country. Only my parents stand between me and my four “foreigner grandparents” who immigrated from Bohemia. Maybe that’s one reason I care so much about immigration.
5. “In God’s perspective, if you have more grain than you need, the issue is not how to store it, but how to share it.” Fr. George Smiga, from Living with Christ, August 2025, p. 16. I thought, “It’s time to clean out your closest again, Melannie, and donate some of ‘your’ good clothes to someone who needs them.”
6. I am a Christian,” I concluded, “because the story of Jesus is still the story I’m willing to risk being wrong about.” Rachel Held Evans, Inspired, p. 164.
7. “There is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.” Barbara Brown Taylor.
8. “To paraphrase the moral theologian James F. Keenan, SJ, who said this about compassion, being a good friend is ‘entering into the chaos of another person’s life.’ And even if it’s just one person, it will make all the difference. For both of you.” James Martin, SJ, Give Us This Day.
9. “The truth is that I’m a mystery, even to myself. It’s like trying to solve an equation with too many unknowns. And if I can’t solve my own equation, who am I to think I can solve someone else’s? When I get judgy, I’m trying to train myself to stop and think of one word: “Unknowns.” Then I look for something in the person to appreciate. That’s ground-level grace, and it’s a better way.” Susan Pitchford, Give Us This Day, June 2025.
10. “The roadmap Mary provides us at the wedding feast of Cana is simple and profound: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). This is the roadmap that will lead us to heaven.” Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, Living with Christ, August, 2025, p. 19.
11. “I also like the concept expressed by the Bengali poet, Tagore. He says: ‘Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark.'” Fr. James McKarns, Living Faith, August 10, 2025.
12. “The Lord will help them on their bed of pain; in their sickness, you tend even to the bedding” (Ps. 41:4). The image of God fluffing my pillows when I am sick in bed is very comforting for me.
13. “The woman at the well provided the ‘come and see”; Jesus did the heavy lifting and the loving.” Melanie Rigney, Living with Christ, August 2025, p. 22.
14. On grieving: One reason ancient people rent their clothes and covered their heads with ashes: “They knew that keeping it together is overrated.” Jan Richardson, The Cure for Sorrow: A Book of Blessings for Times of Grief.
15. And sometimes you find the perfect little one-sentence prayer that expresses exactly what you want to ask of God: “May God make us firm in faith, constant in hope, steadfast in love, through the power of Christ living in us. Amen.” Give Us This Day, August 2025, p. 301.
For reflection:
Are there any kernels here that caught your attention today? Feel free to share which one(s) with us below. You don’t have to say why it caught your attention if you don’t want to.
From your own reading or listening lately, did you find another kernel that nourished you? If so, would you like to share it with us below?
Did any of today’s photos catch your eye–or heart?
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PS: Our annual Chicken Barbecue & Boutique will be held on Sunday Sept. 28 from noon – 5:00 on our NDCL campus. Go to our website (sndusa.org) and click on the Chardon region. Then click on events to get all the details. Dinners ($18 each) can be ordered online or purchased on Sunday. Each dinner includes 1/2 chicken, coleslaw, potato chips, roll, and a slice of apple pie. I will be there at the Book Nook in the cafeteria with my books from noon until 3:00. Stop by and say hello!
We Sisters here have learned a new song recently. Most of us seem to like it. It’s called “We Tend the Ground” by Curtis Stephan. It’s inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si which focuses on caring for our environment. Many times a song can be a kernel of spiritual nourishment too!
(Disclaimer: I am recommending only the video I have posted here. I have no control over the videos that appear after the video I chose. Some are fine, but others I am NOT recomending. Please use your discretion.)
I invite you to leave a comment below–on the 15 “kernels,” the photos, or the song…
