What value is there in a pilgrimage to an allegedly “holy” place? And what makes it holy, exactly? If God is everywhere, can he really be found in higher doses in one place vs. another? In Europe the notion of pilgrimage is hard-wired into the culture, and one of the most popular destinations is Lourdes, […]
As Americans, we are inundated by people trying to get into our pockets. Perhaps it is a walk for cancer, or diabetes. Maybe a family’s home has burned down, or the local food pantry needs canned goods. A library needs funding, or the police/firemen want a little extra, and of course there are always those […]
Whenever I’m feeling sorry for myself or irritated with the world, I think of Father Waseem. He’s a Catholic priest in Pakistan who might be the happiest person I know. Recently I caught up with him in Rome where he was taking his first vacation in years. It was a brief respite from a life […]
When a child is born, “time” in a family begins anew. There is before baby, and after baby. The world stops as you stare at this beautiful creature, fresh from heaven. She is cute, but cagey. “Tell us – what is it like? Is God really good, all the time?” She purses her lips, coyly. […]
I’m finding that once you get past the small stuff, what people really want to talk about are their relationships. The single are anxious to find that right person, and fall in love. The married are anxious to stay in love. And everybody is anxious about the future. There is a distinct uneasiness with the […]
After 30 years of marriage and raising three children, you would think I know what love is. But last week I had the pleasure of being tutored by a group of twenty-somethings – that alleged “lost generation” of spoiled, tech-obsessed, everybody-gets-a-trophy Millennials – in the barrios of Guayaquil, Ecuador. I almost didn’t make the trip. […]
In New England, we have often been accursed by other parts of the country as liberal elites, best known for our stiffness and detachment. In short, we’re told we’re not very friendly – particularly by Midwest or Southern standards. Unfortunately, there is some truth to this. Here in Boston, for example, the notion of ”community” is […]
Dr. David Franks, a friend and theology professor at St. John’s Seminary in Boston, is a firm proponent of a classical liberal arts education and the role the finer arts can play in bringing us closer to God. “When you spend time in the highest forms of human expression,” he says, “it is harder to […]
The desert is a good place to refuel, and it was with that vague objective I recently visited Christ in the Desert (CID), a Benedictine monastery deep in the high country desert of northern New Mexico. I wanted to unplug from reality in a place without cell phones, email, internet, 24-hour news cycles, liberals/conservatives, ISIS and […]
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