Only by the Grace of God: Forgiving the Unforgivable
Warning: Today’s post is a hard read. It is a story of heroic forgiveness—but it is heroic because of what had to be forgiven. I share it because this Lent more than ever there is a need to pray for…
Thomas Didn’t Get It
“How is this night different from all other nights?” The youngest child in a Jewish family asks this question on the night of Passover. We could ask a similar question on Divine Mercy Sunday—why is this feast any different? We’ve…
The Charcoal Fire
Among my favorite smells of spring-going-on-summer is a charcoal fire. The scent summons me back to childhood summers when, draped in damp towels after swimming, we would gather after sunset around a charcoal fire at the town park. I loved…
Awkward: A Holy Thursday Reflection
This year, our Holy Thursday liturgy will be missing a familiar component—the Washing of the Feet. A small if unholy part of me is somewhat relieved. The liturgy is long enough. Surely we’ve sanitized sufficiently this year! And quite frankly,…
The Egg and the Rock
Today’s Gospel seems to tell a Tale of Two Peters. Jesus asks His disciples the pivotal question: “Who do you say that I am?” It is Peter who proclaims in reply: “You are the Christ!” Peter is able to see…
Parented By Gratuitous Love
There are many beautiful flowers in the nursery garden, but I am drawn at once to Baby M*. Only a few weeks old, he is the smallest of all, weighing in at only 2.5 kilos—the equivalent of a small sack…
Am I the Enemy?
“Healing is like an onion—there are many layers to it,” said the priest kindly. “God is moving foothills and mountains in your life—but you are looking for a volcano.” His words gave me a measure of peace, but still I…
Sitting in Pairs
Gathered in the theater of the Sheen Center, we watched as survivors of the Rwanda genocide told their stories of living through unspeakable atrocities. How they hid from former friends and neighbors, who hunted them down in order to exterminate…
