In today’s first reading we see exactly why we Catholics believe the Scriptures proclaim a preferential option for the poor. We who live in relative comfort and ease often forget exactly how difficult it is for others to exist. When one comes from a home with both parents, never worriesContinue Reading
My daughter was excited yesterday to tell me about a new movie coming out. The movie is called Harriet and is about Harriet Tubman, a woman whose courage and bravery should be a story we are all familiar with. Most of us have no idea what slavery is like. WeContinue Reading
There is a phenomenon for amputees where they experience phantom pain. Even though they no longer have the limb or body part that was injured or removed, they experience sensations as if they were still there. In today’s first reading, we are reminded that although we have been freed fromContinue Reading
In the letter to the Romans today we see a well laid out argument for the flow of God’s grace into the world. For me, though, it hints at something that has to do with original sin. According to the Sacred Scriptures, mankind once walked in the garden of God’sContinue Reading
Most of the time we don’t actually listen when someone speaks, at least not in the way we should. Many times instead of listening to understand, we simply listen to respond. As they speak something triggers a memory of our own. Then we wait in anticipation to share our memory,Continue Reading
It’s very interesting to me how many times this week the Liturgy of the Hours has become a focal point of conversation. The power and beauty of praying the Psalms, which St. Ambrose once called the gymnasium of the soul, tends to bring out the best and the worst ofContinue Reading
I remember fondly a quote from The Way by Saint Jose Maria Escriva (277), in which the response to the question why “that cross” instead of a crucifix: “You ask me: why that wooden Cross? — And I copy from a letter: ‘As I look up from the microscope, myContinue Reading