As a human being, Jesus Christ was as subject to daily tasks as any of us. In the carpenter shop in Nazareth did Jesus wonder about the punishment of Adam and Eve to work, especially the work that is tedious, thankless, mindless and so repetitive that we wonder why we

“Let us be infected by the holiness of God.” Pope Francis said this in a general audience in October 2013. With the Ebola epidemic spiraling out of control, the word “infected” takes on more import. For our spiritual lives, too, the prayerful hope of Pope Francis should also take on

If schools, stores, churches, and other buildings had a banner stating “Always Looking for Great People,” I’d want to go in! I’d be curious about who was inside, the mission statement, procedures for day-to-day operations, visioning, and goals. What if next Sunday every Christian church displayed such a banner? Would

A few days ago when I was driving in early morning hours, I noticed something unusual about the moon. The traffic, however, kept my attention on the road, headlights preventing me from seeing much beyond. Later in the day I heard about the lunar eclipse. Had I realized it was

During the ceremony when St. Brigid (500 A.D.) was to become an abbess, the bishop accidentally used the prayers for an ordination of a bishop. Back in June a presider at Mass intended to give a Father’s Day blessing, but accidentally turned to a page with a blessing for catechists.

Most people probably don’t put together these two words: nuns and passion. Is being a passionate nun an oxymoron? I don’t think so. Actually I get frustrated with people who aren’t passionate. So did Jesus. Remember his line about the lukewarm? Perhaps you’ve read Good to Great by Jim

The word alone looks like the words all one, and perhaps that’s significant. When I lose who I think I am (my ego, my way of doing things, my way of thinking), then I can more easily become one with all, that is, the universe and all it contains. Ironically

We arrived at church for Mass too early. Rather than finding another church, we decided to sit at one of the church’s picnic tables and talk about our spiritual lives. As we talked about finding God in little events, a hawk came to rest on a nearby fence, his presence

Today is the first day of autumn, and I notice quite a mix of color: green and yellow soybean fields, red and green tree leaves, tan fields of dry corn next to green lawns. The change of seasons doesn’t come with one big “Aha!” moment, although sometimes our breath is

Junk mail claims “You’re a winner!” until you read the catch that costs. The gospels also have a catch: “Find life! (But first deny yourself, take up your cross, and let go of life).” In Jesus we see in human terms what it means to be God. The gospels are