A Little Easter Laughter
The Catholic Church has an ancient and venerable tradition that designates the Monday after Easter as “Joke Monday” or “Laughter Monday.” It was a day when Christians were supposed to tell jokes to each other in honor of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead—when Jesus had the “last laugh.” I’m extending that tradition to the week […]
A Few Details about the Easter Story
Today I’d like to share with you a few thoughts about the Resurrection of Jesus, one of the greatest mysteries of our faith. These thoughts are gleaned from the Gospel accounts of that very first Easter. The first thing that strikes me about the Easter story is how shocked the disciples were on that Easter […]
What Makes Jesus’ Sacrifice Special?
As we enter into Holy Week, let’s take a few minutes to answer the question: What makes Jesus’ sacrifice special? I gleaned many of the ideas here from a March 21, 2009 column by Father Ronald Rolheiser. Father begins by saying it is one thing to love when you are surrounded by love. But it […]
Stay Awake: A Hallmark of Christian Spirituality
Several years ago, a priest friend and I were discussing this question: What are some of the hallmarks of a genuine Christian spirituality. Almost immediately, he gave me one. “Stay awake!” he said. We went on to have a great conversation about this hallmark. In this reflection I will share why this injunction “Stay awake!” […]
“When Breath Becomes Air”: A Book Review
If you’re looking for an autobiography that weaves together great literature, fascinating medical science, a love story, and one that explores the meaning of life, then this is the book for you: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. It’s the story of a doctor on the verge of completing ten years of training as […]
An Open Letter to the Woman at the Well
(I wrote today’s reflection for Give Us This Day, March 2023 issue, published by Liturgical Press. The reflection is based on this past Sunday’s gospel of Jesus encountering the woman at the well [John 4:5-42]). Dear Sister, Thank you! Thank you for coming to the well that day to perform a routine boring chore: drawing […]
Quotations about Jesus
One of the goals of Lent is to deepen our personal relationship with Jesus. To help all of us to do this, I have once again visited my vast collection of quotations and pulled out some quotes filed under “Jesus.” They are from a wide variety of authors. I hope as you prayerfully read these […]
A Few Words about Complaining
Are you a complainer? Or do you follow of the rule: “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? Do you find yourself avoiding complainers? Or do you think complaining can be a good thing sometimes? To get help answering these questions, I’m turning to an article in Notre Dame […]
Lenten Reflection: From “The Chosen”
Have you watched any of the episodes of “The Chosen”? It is a multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus. The show has received high praise in some circles (I like it!) and has garnered a vast audience all over the world. The series was created by Dallas Jenkins who wanted to do a […]
Bishop Peter Storey: A Candle at Midnight
Recently I watched an interview with Bishop Peter Storey, the former president of the Methodist Church of South Africa. Bishop Storey, who is white, lived under South Africa’s brutal system of apartheid. He worked closely with Bishop Desmond Tutu and others to dismantle apartheid. He was also involved in the hard work of reconciliation that […]