Health, Memories, and the Spiritual Life
What do inflammation, memory, and spirituality have in common? Quite a bit.
Inflammation is our body’s attempt to protect itself from invading pathogens. For example,...
St. Paul and the Call to Adapt to Radical Change
Paul had an extraordinarily active life. It’s exhausting just to read about his missionary journeys: the many times he was shipwrecked, persecuted, imprisoned, and...
Lenten Read-Along: Room for One More
At the heart of the Irish expression, cĂ©ad mĂle fáilte, meaning “a hundred thousand welcomes,” is the understanding that each person that we meet...
Anna and the Call to Recognize What Is Possible
Anna (Luke 2:22–24, 36–38) is part of the Christmas story. It’s easy to overlook her among the many characters in Luke’s infancy narrative because...
A Week to Consider Mystery
I’ve never been a huge fan of Halloween—I was one of those children who scared easily and who did not enjoy being scared. But...
Three Ways to Recharge in the Summertime
We can rest and recreate during the summer months, but how about going a step further? How do we recharge ourselves for the months...
The Posture of Accompaniment
I keep posted in my office a note from my husband that includes two phrases: “It’s not about you. Accompany them.”
I first discovered this...
Lenten Read-Along: Why Should We Have a Resting Point in Our Process of Forgiveness?
I imagine that we all have different styles for processing feelings, ranging from total avoidance to sorting through them deliberately and slowly to wanting...
Thoughts for January 1
This is the octave day of Christmas, dedicated as a solemnity to Mary, the Holy Mother of God. The Gospel invites us to join...
Pandemic Blessings for the Church
“We’re driving the car while building it,” the old saying goes. It’s true of our pandemic times. We’re teaching one another how to use...