· 21 April 2008 | 1054 words
From Br. Joseph -- We have all seen pictures of the crucifixion. There is one particular picture, a bit different from most, which I want to describe. The viewpoint of the picture is from above the Cross, a little higher...
· 10 April 2008 | 598 words
From Br. Joseph -- There are two sides to faith, just as there are two sides to a coin. One side of the "coin of faith" looks externally, that is, it looks outside of our selves to others for examples...
· 27 March 2008 | 421 words
From Br. Joseph -- This is the last reflection of a series on seven signposts. The first reflection began Lent, and now this one bridges us into the Easter season and beyond. Signposts give us direction. They point to some...
· 10 March 2008 | 187 words
A stanza from "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash: When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, You understand now why you came this way, ‘Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small, But...
· 4 March 2008 | 537 words
From Br. Joseph -- This is the fourth reflection on seven signposts for the season of Lent (and for all seasons). Signposts give us direction. They point to some place. They involve action, movement. Many signposts call us to remember...
· 1 March 2008 | 248 words
I pulled into an isolated parking spot overlooking the lake. I had been given the precious gift of a couple dozens of minutes of solitude--the absence of the need to be somewhere or by someone. I chose to be quiet...
· 21 February 2008 | 200 words
From Thursday's collect in Thomas Merton, A Book of Hours (emphasis added): My mind is scattered among things, not because of my work, but because I am not detached and I do not attend first of all to God. On...
· 11 February 2008 | 898 words
Signposts point to where we want to go. Follow, or don't follow. There are seven signposts listed below because seven is the number of completeness. No claim of originality is made for the signs, excerpt maybe for their grouping. Keep...
· 29 January 2008 | 607 words
From Br. Joseph -- All is gift. Even your next breath is gift if you think about. Everything involves a choice, especially how we spend our time. Is it our time or God's time? Here is a reflection/prayer on time...
· 22 January 2008 | 426 words
From Br. Joseph -- At some point in every faith journey, one finds him or her self taking an inventory of their core, central beliefs. Some of these beliefs are held very tightly, some loosely. The more central a belief,...
· 7 January 2008 | 85 words
Thomas Keating, in Manifesting God, says: "Worthiness is not the issue." Get over it. Stop projecting your own self-esteem issues onto God. God is God, not the god you make Him out to be. The Gospel is not about earning...
· 6 November 2007 | 235 words
From Br. Joseph -- Meister Eckhart, a 14th century German mystic, once wrote, "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." From Ronald Rolheiser's book, The Shattered Lantern: The original...
· 2 September 2007 | 780 words
The term Body of Christ means three things: 1) the actual physical body of Jesus; 2) the Church (with a capital "C") because we as individual persons are church, parts of the Body, branches on the Vine; and 3) the Eucharist, the Blessed...
· 22 August 2007 | 273 words
I was talking with an older friend whose wife is the middle of battling the second stage of a debilitating disease. They chose to adopt two children years ago instead of passing this 50-50 chance, hereditary disease on to the...
· 4 May 2007 | 158 words
From Reference.com: The most common translation of Pantocrator is "Almighty" or "All-powerful." In this understanding, Pantokrator is a compound word formed from the Greek words for "all" and the noun "strength" (κρατος). This is often understood in terms of potential...
· 18 April 2007 | 93 words
The word sacrifice tends to carry a negative feel to it when stressing the idea of giving up something. But if I look beyond this negative, there is also an implied sense of hope, that is, in my giving up...
· 7 March 2007 | 328 words
At the end of the movie, American Beauty, the main character Lester Burnham reflects on his life: ...there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart...
· 8 January 2007 | 68 words
All is truly gift. So if there's anything I've learned From this journey I am on Simple truths will keep you going Simple love will keep you strong Cause there are questions without answers Flames that never die Heartaches we...
· 23 November 2006 | 503 words
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote a wonderful little book called You, which is really about us and our relationship with God. Although the cultural references are a little dated, here is a cursory explanation, sprinkled with golden nuggets of insight,...
· 18 November 2006 | 345 words
At the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Principle and Foundation as a mission statement to guide everything he did and to guide retreatants through the Exercises. About this time last year when I was...
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us