Posted in Main, tagged faith, Jesus, spirituality on July 20, 2008 | No Comments »
Last night there was a reconciliation service for those of us making the 8-day retreat, with the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The person leading the service picked Luke 8:40-56 for the reading, a passage that includes both Jesus’ healing of the hemorrhaging woman and His raising of the daughter of Jairus.
I [...]
Posted in Main, tagged belonging, God, love on July 19, 2008 | No Comments »
Here’s a line I savored several times throughout the day. It is Isaiah 49:16. “I have branded you on the palms of my hands.”
I talked yesterday about looking at my pin and calling to mind the love and prayers of the person who gave it to me. But I, or [...]
Posted in Main, tagged gratitude, gift on July 18, 2008 | No Comments »
As I was walking along one of the paths on the retreat house grounds yesterday, I glanced down at a pin I am wearing on my shirt. It was a gift I received the other day from my “big brother” (I am the eldest child of my parents, but this friend has all the [...]
Posted in Main, tagged God, creation on July 17, 2008 | No Comments »
A strange looking tree I saw today.
Asymmetrical from birth, its branches jutting here and there, and large spaces where seemingly branches should be, mirroring their sisters on the other side.
VIsible are ragged stumps where limbs have shorn off at various times, victims of wind and storms.
Imprefect and wounded.
Yet, still it stands tall, performing its duties [...]
Posted in Main, tagged discipleship, Jesus, retreat on July 16, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Arriving at St. Ignatius Retreat House yesterday afternoon was like coming home. This was the house I served on the adjunct staff of before moving to Minneapolis and it was my spiritual home for seven years. As you enter the grounds, there is a large statue of the Sacred Heart, Jesus arms stretched [...]
Posted in Main, tagged prayer, retreat on July 15, 2008 | No Comments »
I fly to NY this morning where I will begin (after dinner this evening) my annual 8-day silent retreat. This is time I treasure and look forward to….time away from my normal routines and activities to be refreshed by and with God. (In my head right now, I’m hearing “8-day retreat” to the [...]
Posted in Main, tagged control, nature, power, storms on July 14, 2008 | No Comments »
We’ve had some severe stormy weather on and off here in Minnesota over the past week. The other day, while my friend John was visiting, a powerful wind and hailstorm blew in. The storm was an incredible display of nature. It knocked out electricity over a broad area (our home was [...]
Posted in Main, tagged Jesus, parable, spirituality on July 13, 2008 | 1 Comment »
In today’s Gospel from Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, where the birds devoured them; some fell on rocky ground, which sprung up for a while, then withered for lack of good roots; some fell on thorns, and [...]
Posted in Main, tagged Mary, spirituality, Jesus, feminism on July 12, 2008 | No Comments »
My relationship with Mary has developed over time and she has become a great friend and a model for me. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about her in connection with one of my writing projects this summer. I’m working on a piece tentatively entitled, The Challenges of Articulating a Catholic [...]
Posted in Main, tagged Benedict, church on July 11, 2008 | No Comments »
Today is the memorial of St. Benedict, patriarch of Western monasticism. Benedict and his followers formed a religious order dedicated “to prefer nothing to Christ.” Although we don’t think of monasticism as a lay movement, Benedict was a layman and his famous Rule (the Holy Rule of St. Benedict) was intended to be [...]
