DO MY ASSUMPTIONS FREE ME OR BIND ME? For many years I was privileged to have Fr. Thomas More Newbold, C.P., as my spiritual director. He was a very wise and kind man and I loved him dearly. A comment he made to me during one of our conversations I still remember to this day. […]
“Get Out of the Boat” We hear the phrase “get out of the boat” in scripture. (Mt 14:28-30) Peter sees Jesus walking on water and is invited to join him. Initially successful his trust in God fails, and then he begins to sink after an apparent few steps. Jesus saves him and brings him to […]
Freedom, the Beatitudes and My Life Our nation has a wonderful tradition of freedom. There are few examples of countries who have offered themselves up to maintain the freedom of others. Perhaps the most essential expression of the greatest love. To lay down your life for another. Many thousands of American citizens have died for […]
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME This past October, I attended the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) Convocation in Buffalo, NY. Around 300 Priests, Sisters and Brothers from different Religious Orders gathered for four days of listening, prayer and discernment, and prophetic action on the theme of the Convocation, “Walk with me: Encounter, Accompaniment and Invitation.” Fr. […]
THE INVITATION This December I had a pre-Christmas lunch with an individual who has had a life well lived as a Christian. As we chatted through the courses, getting to know each other and meandering through the challenges facing the world, he finally got to the rub. His thesis, (incidentally, backed up by most mystics […]
Total Transparency…gift? Or goblin? How confident are you that you’re going to heaven? Are you very confident, somewhat hopeful, a bit worried, or maybe afraid that you’ll never make it? Many of us find it hard to imagine how God sees us. We work so hard to present our best selves to the public we […]
For those of you who recall physics in school or college, you may remember the meaning of electrical resistance. The “resistance” of a wire determines how much current and voltage flows through it based on its character, its essence. During some recent retreats it seems this relationship can also be applied to the way we […]
Strong Foundation A woman was enthusiastically telling some friends about the value of a first-aid class she had just completed. “Why only yesterday,” she said, “I was driving down the street when I heard this awful crash. I jammed on the brakes, ran back and found a car wrapped around a telephone pole. When […]
Put on the Mind of Christ Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians: “Be anxious for nothing. Nothing. Is that possible in today’s world? We live in a culture of anxiety. As a national newspaper shouted in a headline: “It’s not just you; we’re all living in the United States of Anxiety. In […]
When stretched beyond your limits, what do you do? If you’re anything like me, there are times in your life when you’re feeling battered by all the people, issues, or ideas that are demanding your attention? Whether it’s the family activities, work obligations, social expectations, religious or personal demands, economic or political pressures, there can […]
