"Tattoos on the Heart"
Recently I read an incredible book called Tattoos on the Heart by Father Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest. For twenty years Fr. Boyle has worked with gangs in Los Angeles where there are an estimated 1,100 gangs and 86,000 gang members. Fr. Boyle founded and runs Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention program that offers jobs, education, […]
Praying with My Address Book
When I went to address my Christmas cards this past year, I noticed how shabby my old address book was. After all, it’s about 20 years old. So I decided to buy a new one.
Mary and Joseph at the First Christmas
In the beautiful Christmas carol “Silent Night” we sing these words about the first Christmas: “All was calm, all was bright.” But the truth was: All was NOT calm. All was NOT bright. For Mary and Joseph, the first Christmas was filled with anxiety and ambiguity.
The Shooting in Connecticut
There’s been a shooting. Again. This time not at a university. Not in a parking lot. Not in a movie theater. Not in a shopping mall. This time in an elementary school—the worst possible place for a shooting.
On Waiting
Most of us don’t like to wait. We grow impatient waiting for the traffic light to change, the coffee to brew, the water to boil for the pasta. We glance at our watches as we stand in the checkout line, sit in a doctor’s office, or wait for an elderly person to get to the […]
Giving Thanks and Doing Thanks
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. Why? First of all because it is a holiday celebrated in most countries and by virtually all faiths. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc., all have the tradition of giving thanks. So, wishing someone a “Happy Thanksgiving,” is always politically correct.
I Love Letters!
My Dear Friends, I love letters! I fell in love with them at an early age. I was in seventh grade when I got my first foreign pen-pal. Her name was Carla and she lived in Milan, Italy. I remember the excitement of walking out to our mailbox and finding a letter from Carla. I […]
Mud Isn’t “Just Mud”
When I was writing my book, When the Moon Speaks: Rejoicing in Everyday Miracles, I was searching for new topics to write about. I said to a few friends, “I’ve already written about the moon, dogs, whales, tulips, deserts, corn, and fire. What other topics do you suggest?” My friend Sister Lenette Marcello said, “What […]
Mud Isn't "Just Mud"
When I was writing my book, When the Moon Speaks: Rejoicing in Everyday Miracles, I was searching for new topics to write about. I said to a few friends, “I’ve already written about the moon, dogs, whales, tulips, deserts, corn, and fire. What other topics do you suggest?” My friend Sister Lenette Marcello said, “What […]
The Suffering of the Saints
This week on November 1 we celebrate the feast of All Saints. This seems a fitting occasion to say a few words about the saints. In this posting, I’d like to reflect on one aspect of the saints: their suffering. No, I’m not going to describe the gruesome things some of them endured—like being eaten […]