Political Narratives or the Pope? Dross to Gold.

Benedict Last Mass Consecration

Immersion in Benedict resignation news, I find the worldly political stories to be stale theater in comparison to the richness of the words I am reading and the authenticity of the pope and the faithful as they meet. Dross to genuine gold. In what is likely his last public homily, Benedict today said: “he reward [...]

Jesus and the Hemorrhagic Woman: Accountability and Thanksgiving

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Today’s Gospel reading (Mark 5:21-43) tells us of Jairus’ plea to Jesus, that he go to his sick little girl, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” Oh, that spoke to me; on a snowy, cold morning, with the arthritis [...]

The Good Wine is the Life of Faith in Christ Jesus

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“Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” — John 2:10 Eventually, no matter how much we think we want something — be it a relationship, a child, a job, a vacation, a house, a car — the “new” [...]

Pillar of Cloud, Water of Life: All of a Healing Piece & Peace

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For a little while longer, we are still in Christmas, but every day the mysteries of the season seem to wither a little, like the leaves of the poinsettias; the expectation of Advent seems far away, and in just a few days we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, and enter — with some sense [...]

Could Newtown Massacre be Latent Effect of Bullying?

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Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo is expressing embarrassment at just how much the press got wrong, yesterday, as they rushed to tell us anything they could about the terrible slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Perhaps he also feels mortified by the press tweets to families and friends of the victims looking for a [...]

The Alleluia that Defeats the Chill of Evil – UPDATE

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A friend of mine sent me this piece from the WSJ on the “rapid descent” of the Aurora shooter, pointing to one paragraph, in particular: On June 25, the Lead Valley Range received Mr. Holmes’ online application with answers to basic questions about age, gun ownership and drug use; all seemed normal, said range owner [...]

A Hermitage in Your Future?

My husband thinks this will be me, one day: The hermitage isn’t what you’d expect: a small home in a quiet neighborhood of Essex, Maryland, that was originally built as a one-room fishing shack 100 years ago. But then, the hermit who lives there isn’t what you’d expect, either. Mary Zimmerer, now Sr. Maria Veronica [...]