Shining Light into the Darkness
What an interesting coincidence that hope is the topic for today, the first day of the new year. Every January first, a new seed of hope germinates within us. Will we, in this coming year, create or sustain the life we dream about? Can we become all that we sense is our destiny? Hope is …
Faith is the belief in things unseen. In Opening Hearts Dr. Sauvage shares that his faith was passed on to him as a child by his mother but deepened and made his own through his observations and scientific study of the universe and the human body. In the complexity and miraculous nature of both, Lester …
This year’s Novena for Peace is a little later than last year because I had the privilege of being with my parents for most of the month of December to assist with my mom’s recuperation. She’d taken a nasty fall this past autumn and my sisters and I took turns going to Florida to help …
January is the month of birthday gifts for me even though my birthday is in June. Keene is my first gift and Cheri is my second. Before my middle child was born on January 22 three plus decades ago, I worried (of course I did; it’s a habit). Could I love her as much as …
The Servant’s Way Isn’t Easy The servant’s way is a challenging paradox; if it were easy, everyone would be following it. St. Francis understood the paradox of the servant’s way. Jesus mastered it. And teachers and prophets from many traditions teach the same paradox contained in the final words of the Prayer of St. Francis: For …
The Way of Peace Is the Servant’s Way The essence of St. Francis’ teaching in the prayer that bears his name is that we must walk the Servant’s Way to become instruments of peace. This Servant’s Way presumes that we already properly love ourselves because we have recognized that not only are we children of …
Where there is darkness, let me sow light Darkness is threatening. Darkness—whether physical, psychological, spiritual, emotional, or social—disturbs and perturbs us, sometimes to our very core. But just like a single candle pierces the darkness of the night, a single person can pierce the darkness in our world. Just look at Malala Yousafzai, the young …
Where there is doubt, faith Existential doubts about whether there is God or whether we’re loveable or capable or worthy cause untold suffering. Since childhood, I’ve been graced with the gift of faith in God. It was faith in myself that was my struggle; not in everything but in enough to give me compassion for …
Where there is injury, pardon. I heard one of the most radical ideas about pardoning from Abbot David Geraets, a Benedictine monk who was my teacher at a school for spiritual directors. During a lesson about Healing the Family Tree he said that we must ask forgiveness from family members who have injured us because …
Where there is hatred, let me sow love Hatred is such a strong word. We can easily identify hatred out there but rarely do we sense it in here, in our own hearts. Yet hatred doesn’t spring forth whole in its easily identifiable ugly ways. It begins as small frustrations, angers, and resentments that are held, …