Many jack-o-lanterns have smiling faces. I can think of two reasons that this might be so.  The first is the fact that Halloween preludes All Saints Day.  And who are the saints?  The saints are those who imitated Christ the Light of the World, who said to his followers, “You

There’s a difference between saying I drive a Ford and I am driving a Ford. The first simply claims that there’s a car sitting in the parking lot. The second is the activity of traveling down the road. In a similar way, we can think of sacraments as past events

Recently the lectionary readings focused on the story of Jonah, the reluctant prophet upset because the people of Nineveh converted their ways. Why shouldn’t Jonah have been pleased that such an enormous city would listen to one man’s warning? Was Jonah even acting logically? We’ve probably all felt anger for

I love this idea from Richard Rohr’s book The Universal Christ: “Your asking is only seconding the motion. The first motion is always from God.” God plants desires in our hearts and minds. We become aware of these inspired ideas, ruminate on them, and perhaps come to desire what God

I am not an animal lover. I’m afraid of dogs, so I will be far away from the blessing of pets that will occur in my parish on Friday, October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. Will the prayers quiet all the animals, or will the holy water

In 1850 the Sisters of Notre Dame came into being as Hilligonde Wolbring became Sister Maria Aloysia and Elisabeth Kuhling became Sister Maria Ignatia, the first novices of the new congregation begun in Coesfeld, Germany. Would our congregation have ever begun without the friendship and shared teaching ministry of Hilligonde

Greta Thunberg has mobilized youth around the globe to protect Planet Earth. Marches mobilizing thousands of participants demonstrate the earnestness of these young people to ensure their future and that of generations to come. For them and all of us it is a matter of the survival of humans, animals,

Peter Brook said, “We don’t know how to celebrate because we don’t know what to celebrate.” What deserves our celebration? To answer that question, we might ask another: “What doesn’t deserve our celebration?” So what shall we celebrate tomorrow? How about celebrating getting up in the morning? You’re still alive!

Covey’s famous 7 Habits book claims “Interdependence is ten times more difficult than independence.” How true this is for business teams, athletic teams, economic growth, and peace in the world. Stated positively, interdependence is ten times more effective than independence. So much more can be achieved through teamwork, including the

I read the book Spreading the Fire: the Story of the Sisters of Notre Dame in California 1924-2010 by Sr. Mary Joanne Wittenburg, SND. The hardships the Sisters endured filled me with empathy for the loneliness, inconveniences, and backbreaking work they encountered. Although more recent times lessened the challenges, similar