Former Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden was declined Holy Communion at a South Carolina parish this past Sunday. You can read the story here. (There are other recent examples of the denial of the Eucharist related to other conflicts with Church teaching related to sexuality, identity, and marriage.) I wrestled with this story… Continue reading Biden Denied Communion: A Short, Yet Timely Reflection
In anticipation of All Saints Day this Friday, our bedtime routine included a riveting rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In." After Shea, my three-year old toddler, marched and danced around the living room, I asked her, "Do you know what a saint is?" Shea stopped, smiled, and said, "St. Francis." This answer surprised… Continue reading In the Company of Saints
"It won’t be like this for long." These words played earlier this morning as the backdrop to the daily routine of preparing meals and steaming clothes for the day. This song, sung by Darius Rucker, was an early morning wake up call to appreciate the present in all of its glory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5zCaRaJ-kE An hour… Continue reading It Won’t Be Like This For Long
"Once someone said that if, by chance, all the Gospels disappeared from the earth, Christians should be such that, just by looking at their lives, the Gospel could be rewritten." These words were spoken by Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. It reminds us of the more familiar words, "see how they love one another,"… Continue reading REWRITING THE GOSPELS
Do you worry about the future? Are you scared of what might go wrong, fearful of the "what if's" of life? Do you find yourself thinking of the past? Missing loved ones, regretting choices, glorifying memories? As we look to the past and to the future, we miss the present- we miss God in our… Continue reading Staying in the Present
"Be with me God." In the recent past, when encountering a difficult situation or experience, I would say this silent prayer. However, my evolving spirituality has invited me to say a different prayer: "God, help me remember that you are with me." This distinction is important as it changes how we see God. The first… Continue reading Open My Eyes
My almost 3-year old daughter, Shea, rested in my arms Sunday night. Surrounded by decorations and unwrapped early gifts on our living room floor, her upcoming birthday invited me into a deeper reflection on my little angel. On Friday, we will celebrate her third birthday- 1,095 days since Shea was born. Throughout those blessed roller… Continue reading 1095 Days
