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The Equinox of God’s Mercy
Let’s face it: there is a reason we call winter “dead.” Lifeless. The Big Chill. In mid-January in North America, we are far from the Magi’s Star, the cozy eggnog…
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Realize, Organize, and Share
When the Gospel of Mark intones the “sheep without a shepherd,” it is an invocation of an ancient prophetic theme. Prophets recognized that Israel was not without leaders, whether kings…
Illustration by Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana. Used with permission.
The Creche and the Cross
The Octave of Christmas concludes today, eight days after celebrating the birth of Christ. On this day we focus on Mary, Mother of God, our Blessed Mother. From my childhood,…
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Is It You? Is It I?
Today’s story from the Gospel of John takes place at the empty tomb on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. At the outset of this reflection, I must ask the age-old…
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Heavenly Messengers
When was the last time an “angel of the Lord” visited you? Were you afraid? Perhaps a bit skeptical? Like Zechariah before Gabriel, or George Bailey before the jovial Clarence…
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Can We Lift Another’s Burden?
Here in Chicago, I regularly visit the Catholic Worker House on the city’s north Side. Recently, I’ve had the privilege to befriend James, a gentleman in his mid-fifties who moved…
Image from the Met Museum, New York. Public Domain.
The Inbreaking of Light
In her book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard writes of a girl, blind from birth, who gains sight after an operation. She is shown a tree for the first…
Illustration by Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana. Used with permission.
A Change in Priorities
Whenever I encounter this Gospel passage, I find myself wondering: Really? Did these fishermen immediately walk away from their livelihood and families to follow Jesus? Could I possibly do similarly…
Image from the Met Museum, New York. Public Domain.
A Creative Expression of Love
You are created in the dynamic image of God. To create is to express our lives as being made in the image of God, for our God is a creative…
Illustration by Frank Kacmarcik, OblSB, Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota. Used with permission.
Bearing the Weight
The advice columnist Ann Landers once famously wrote that “hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head.” Anyone who has struggled to forgive a serious…
