There are all kinds of calls going on in the readings today--and all kinds of people who respond in different ways. Sometimes people are being called clearly, sometimes not so clearly.

You don't need research to know that the typical parishioner is pulled in many different directions nowadays.

How do we distinguish God’s voice from all other voices clamoring for our attention each day? How do we detect right from wrong, or separate our stubborn self-will from God’s righteous will?

A COUSIN of mine relates how when she was growing up her mother would fall back on a default strategy for the times when her five children could not resolve their differences peacefully: "Sit down and shut up!"

Caught up in the fervor of a high-school retreat, I lay awake asking God how I could be of service. After a while, I came away with a very clear message: Spread my Word.

If you are like me, you find it frustrating when someone you are talking to on the phone cuts you off and puts you on hold because another call has come in.

As we begin a new year of ordinary time, our scripture readings tell us new beginnings. In a spirit of conversion we ask for God's mercy.

​Here I am. Biblical figures use these words frequently to respond at important moments, especially when God calls them.

Vocation doesn't come from willfulness. It comes from listening. I must listen to my life and try to understand what it is truly about . . . or my life will never represent anything real in the world, no matter how earnest my expectations. ​-Parker Palmer