Love in All the Wrong Places: On Leaving Behind the “Land of Transactions”
C.S. Lewis once wrote that God “whispers in our pleasures, but shouts in our pain.” Years ago, l was living a “season of shouting”—when I was wrestling with deep spiritual longing and angst, but not yet recognizing God’s voice in…
Mary Mother of the Church
Several years ago, as I sat praying the rosary, I was reflecting on Our Lady’s request that we pray it “for sinners.” Throughout the centuries, saints have spoken of the power of the rosary to change history, to effect profound…
The Scorpion & the Supper
You have probably heard the cautionary tale about the boy and the scorpion. They are at a raging river. The scorpion pleads for help, and the boy full of compassion carries him across in his bosom, only to be stung…
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…
In Your Hands
Packing up my things for yet another move, I came across an old diary from my childhood. It had two entries: in the first, January 1, 1985, I resolved to write daily, a fresh start to a new year full…
One in the Crowd
We were talking about faith as we drove to the Frassati hike. I remember looking up at the steel grey sky, in which a thick blanket of clouds blocked the sun from shining and warming the April air. I remember…
White Pebbles
When we children were not behaving, and my father was beginning to lose his patience but not yet his sense of humor, he would glance at the woods behind our house and say, “It’s time to start gathering white pebbles!”…
