IT'S A HAPPY coincidence when the Solemnity of the Assumption falls on a Sunday. We get to share this delightful hour together in a way that's not possible mid-week, weary after work or on a hurried lunch break.
CATHOLICS THESE DAYS are angry. I live in a curious region that votes majority conservative Republican yet harbors a subset of way-out liberals. Both sets of Catholics are angry. While the politics of anger can be complicated to parse, one thing unites the rage on both sides: a crisis of confidence in church leaders.
"TEACH US TO number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart." Beautiful if somewhat lacquered words from today's Psalm 90. What that means in plain English: Because we’re not going to live forever, let's learn to live wisely and well.
ASKING FOR HELP is a curiously difficult thing to do. Once we're no longer kids, we take a distinct pride in being self-sufficient. Back in college I remember signing a lease on a basement apartment for the summer. It was a bargain: only 12 dollars a week.
THE QUEST FOR ultimate answers continues. Just visit the spirituality section of a bookstore, the self-help quadrant of Amazon, or the political blog of your choice.
MERCY IS IN danger of becoming an antique word. We live in a tough world where cynicism is the protective wrapping around many hearts. Hostility toward the enemy and suspicion of the stranger are the norm.
TOO MUCH INK has been spilt already deciphering the “marks” Saint Paul bore on his body. Was he the first recorded stigmatic? The consensus is: highly improbable. His metaphor makes perfect sense without lobbing on that phenomenon.
Jesus exposes false declarations of discipleship for what they are and rejects them all. Authentic followers don't look back. They turn forward. We can only head into kingdom territory if we first abandon our allegiance to other, smaller goals.
TODAY IS FATHER'S Day and also World Refugee Day. The dual observance is a coincidence, yet the two fit together.
FORGIVING PEOPLE WHO'VE hurt us is the toughest job there is. And God should know. God's been in the forgiveness business for ages.