How to Pray in 8 Easy and Hard-as-Heck Steps
When I use the word prayer, I mean talking to God. And listening to God. In other words, conversing with God. Years ago a friend came up with this definition of prayer which I like very much: Prayer is being with someone I love–and who loves me! With that in mind, here’s one way to […]
22 Quotations on Music–from Plato to Taylor Swift
I believe one of the greatest gifts in my life has been music. I thank my father for handing down to me his great love for classical music. I thank my mother for playing the piano and singing with her lovely alto voice–especially in church. I thank both parents for paying for my piano lessons […]
A Few Thoughts from My Annual Retreat
I made my annual retreat a few weeks ago during the first week of Advent. I told you I would share a little of my retreat experience with you. So, here are a few thoughts accompanied by some pictures I took of my indoor and outdoor surroundings. The setting. I made my retreat at “Marydale,” […]
The School-Crossing Guard at Christmas
(This reflection is an adaptation of a blog I posted on Dec. 22, 2014. For most of you, it will be new.) Every Christmas I recall a certain school-crossing guard I saw many years ago when I was ministering at the Jesuit novitiate in Detroit, Michigan. I never met her personally, but I saw her […]
Our Desperate Need for Awe
We live in an age marked by uncertainty, anxiety, violence, political divisiveness, loneliness, and fears of all kinds. We are not the first age to experience such things. During such times it is easy for us to slip into numbness or even despair. That’s why it is more important than ever to cultivate experiences of […]
Lessons I Learned from My Old Bank Book
I was going through one of my bulging files labeled “Blog Ideas” to get an idea for this reflection. In it, I found an old bank book of mine, the one I used from first to fifth grade at James A. Garfield School. That school, which included grades 1 through 6, was a fun place […]
Advent Reflection 2025
The season of Advent is all about time: the past, the present, and the future. Advent proclaims: Jesus came! Yes, he came over 2,000 years ago, born of a young Jewish woman named Mary in the small town of Bethehem. For about 33 years or so, he walked the dusty roads of Galilee in sandaled […]
Impediments to Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Reflection
This week, we in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, a beautiful holiday on which we traditionally pause to thank God for the blessings we have received–especially family, friends, and nature’s bounty. I begin by wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! This wish is coupled with a big THANK YOU for reading this blog. […]
Schedule a Humor Break
We schedule all kinds of things: A doctor’s appointment, a dental check-up, a trip to the grocery store, lunch with a friend, our housework, an oil change, and even a time to go to church. As important as these appointments are, there is another appointment that deserves our regular attention: a humor break. Hopefully, today’s […]
“The Art of Pausing”
The Art of Pausing is a fascinating little book. The subtitle is Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed. I thought, those words “overworked and overwhelmed” is how I feel at times. How about you? The book is essentially a collection of 99 haikus written by three authors “who inhabit very different worlds.” Brother Paul Quentin […]