I was recently taking a contemplative walk in my neighborhood offering it as morning prayer. It was a restorative action on my part to counter all the “doing” and “input” of my life. No music, no podcast, no phone call. Just me and the Spirit walking to the tune of the sun rising and the birds singing.
Continue reading “The Mess of our Lives”
Spring is always uplifting I think because we see God’s creative nature in full bloom…literally. The silence of winter is shaking off its sleep and the birds are bursting in song. It’s a cacophony on my back patio as I listen to at least six different birds sing their song. I even was buzzed by a “hummer,” a sacred moment for me each time it occurs.
Continue reading “Lovely Day”
Holy Saturday in the Catholic Church is a day of quiet anticipation and reflection, marking the day Jesus’ body lay in the tomb between his death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. It’s a day of prayer and fasting.
Continue reading “We Wait”
St. Ignatius of Loyola is known for saying
“All is gift.” Ignatian spirituality carries this message forward, inviting us to find God in all things. Everything around us, both beauty and suffering, can speak of God.
In this season of Lent and repentance, we search our hearts for the parts of our being that do not praise and worship God. We pray for cleansing and pardon. We ask for God to create in us a clean heart and put a new and right spirit within us. On this Palm Sunday as we prepare for Christ’s Passion, let’s meditate on Psalm 51 from The Message, and ask for God’s mercy to heal us and for grace to fill our broken hearts.
Continue reading “A Clean Heart”
Let me ask you a question. Are you awake to God’s presence in your life?
Continue reading “Awake to God’s Presence”
Today is Fig Monday arising from St. Mark’s observation that, on the day after Palm Sunday, Christ cursed a fruitless fig tree. It’s an odd story and yet it fits in with the shape of the liturgical year.
Continue reading “New Life Starts Now”
Going through the Passion each Lent starting on Palm Sunday, never fails to find me asking again for forgiveness and expressing my deep desire for a renewed relationship with Jesus.
Continue reading “Invited to More”
As I prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation before we move into Holy Week, I’m pondering the things and behaviors that are out of order in my life, leading me away from who God designed me to be. I’m getting ready for my confession. Its been helpful to listen to Josh Groban’s Confession as I meditate on where I’ve been unwilling to see God’s love, blessing and grace in my life and relying on my own strength:
Continue reading “My Confession”
The “grace of a sister” can refer to the inherent goodness, kindness, and unwavering support a sister embodies. Today I celebrate, my sister Melanie, who has been a faithful woman in my life.
Continue reading “The Grace of a Sister”
Smitten With Goodness 