You had not imagined that something so empty could fill you to overflowing, and now you carry the knowledge like an awful treasure or like a child that roots itself beneath your heart: how the emptiness will bear forth a new world that you cannot fathom but on whose edge you stand. So why do…
Brining together the story of Jesus and the creative energy of the universe brings together certain considerations. The first is what is sometimes called the principle of the integrity of creation. If we are profoundly related to all creation, forming one world with all living things, and with the whole material universe, if we are…
Blessed is the One who comes to us by way of love poured out with abandon. Blessed is the One who walks toward us by way of grace that holds us fast. Blessed is the One who calls us to follow in the way of blessing, in the path of joy.
How Can I Pray? A great way to pray is to look for God’s presence in your life. More than 400 years ago St. Ignatius Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen. The Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to…
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers flow in the right direction, will the earth turn as it was taught, and if not how shall I correct it? Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven, can I do better? Will I ever be able to sing, even the…
The Sun Have you ever seen anything in your life more wonderful than the way the sun, every evening, relaxed and easy, floats toward the horizon and into the clouds or the hills, or the rumpled sea, and is gone– and how it slides again out of the blackness, every morning, on the other side…
To follow Jesus means to relate to each other with the mind of Jesus; that is, to relate to each other as Jesus did to us in servanthood and humility. Community is journeying together, each on our own path, but supporting each other in that journey. You have discoved fellow travelers on a journey and…
Christian spirituality elicits great desires in people so that they can better serve others. In our hyper-competitive culture, greatness can take on different meanings. Some think it means engaging in high-profile activities, landing notable positions, and achieving big results. Following deep desires may lead to such outcomes, but not necessarily. Reducing greatness to honors, positions,…
When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily. I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness, and discernment, and…
I walked, all one spring day, upstream, sometime in the midst of ripples, sometimes along the shore. My company were violets, Dutchman’s-breeches, spring beauties, trilliums, bloodroot, ferns rising so curled one could feel the upward push of the delicate hairs upon their bodies. My companions were downstream, not far away, then father away because I…
