Have a Very Mercy Christmas!
The day is raw and rainy, and nobody wants to go the store for the necessary groceries. Even though (or perhaps especially because), the time to make dinner is fast approaching. Helpful Hal, nudged by his conscience and his wife,…
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 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…
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…
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…
Hiding in Paradise
A two-year-old niece makes many things more fun, but Hide-And-Go-Seek is not one of them. Zippy thinks that if she closes her eyes and can’t see me, then I can’t see her either. Sometimes, to make it more challenging, she…
