While the New Testament scriptures were written in the first century, Christians were getting persecuted, especially in Rome. According to a famous legend, Peter, Jesus’ choice to lead the church, was fleeing the city to escape the suffering when he encountered Christ going the other way—into the wreckage and turmoil. Peter asked Him, “Where are […]
Mother Teresa once said, “At the end of life, we will not be judged by how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, taking in the homeless—hungry not only for bread but hungry for love, naked not only for […]
Everybody benefits from a break now and then. Though ancient Greeks enculturated a multi-day springtime “awakening” tradition, our American custom of spring break began in the late 1930s when a coach from frigid upstate New York took his Colgate swimmers to Florida to gain Olympic-style training in warmer climate. Similarly, professional baseball teams from Philadelphia […]
“I arise today through the strength of heaven, light of the sun, radiance of the moon, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of the wind, depth of the sea, stability of the earth, firmness of the rock. I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me…” It is with these words that the prayer […]
March often enters like a lion and exits like a lamb, for it is the month in which winter officially turns to spring. The transition is played out as atmospheric pressures and gravitational pulls bring forth weather that vacillates between cold and warmth while air can gust into strong winds or burst into storms. As […]
This Lent, I will offer some mini retreats for people to reflect upon the most significant issues of life and address topics of death. Utilizing guidance from spiritual directors, life coaches, death doulas, and Catholic traditions, we will spend time discussing how to make the most of what remains of our earthly life, how to […]
When America’s housewife, the famous columnist Erma Bombeck, contemplated life beyond death, she said that she wanted to appear before God’s throne displaying all her wounds and scars, hobble up to the Lord and turn her empty pockets inside-out to show that she didn’t hold anything back, that she used everything that was entrusted to […]
Among the numerous contributions that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) has given to our nation and world is the simple yet profound message that we, by our mere existence, have an obligation—and simultaneous privilege—to make our community a better place to live, learn, work, and worship. As children of the earth and children […]
The poem below, by an anonymous author, entitled, ‘Twas the Night Before Jesus, will seem rather corny to some readers, including me, but the underlying message is significant. Sometimes we want the resurrection without the crucifixion, the incarnation without the struggles of living, the wood of the crib without the wood of the cross, the […]
Hamilton W. Mabee once said: “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” It’s a wondrous scene in urban parishes each December as numerous inner-city residents line up at churches to receive cart loads of groceries and/or gifts to share with loved ones in their humble dwellings during the […]
UPON THIS ROCK 