In the third week of Advent, we start to pivot from preparation to anticipation. Having taken some concrete steps to ready ourselves for the birth that is to come, we can now embrace the joy that has been patiently waiting…
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Peace (Advent Week 2)
Advent reminds us that we are called to be people of peace. We cannot truly foster much peace in the world, however, if we lack it within ourselves. Our lives are often overwhelmed with various forms of clutter — be…
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Hope (Advent Week 1)
Hope can range from great confidence to holding on by a thread. In either case, it requires waiting. Yet our culture is not very good at this, for in waiting lie vulnerability and uncertainty. We may wonder and worry, knowing…
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Stay in the Conversation
During a Spiritual Direction training program, my classmates and I were tasked with reflecting on our theological assumptions. This exercise proved beneficial for us to gain insights into our personal journeys, influences, and the complexities we each carry. It also…
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The Soul Felt Its Worth
My favorite Christmas carol is “O Holy Night.” It was originally a poem, written in the 1840s by French poet, Placide Cappeau. Later French composer, Adolphe Adam, created music to accompany it. In 1855, John Sullivan Dwight, American minister and…
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Reclaim the Calm
Our culture champions excess over balance, including how we partake in society. We are presented with a false sense that there are only two options — total immersion or complete disengagement. It is as if we can choose to withdraw…
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Evolutionary Work
“God will bring people and events into our lives, and whatever we may think about them, they are designed for the evolution of His life in us.” ― Thomas Keating, Trappist Monk
I came across this quotation the other day…
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Support Healing
We are often too quick to judge others who have made poor life choices, thinking they deserve the bad consequences that follow. Yet if we swim upstream a bit, and peer more deeply into what has led them to this…
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Stay Out of It
The 12-step program called Al-Anon (for loved ones of a problem drinker), teaches members to not manipulate situations to cover up for another’s poor choices, or to try and save them from the consequences of their misdeeds. This guidance can…
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