My school closed down for “February Vacation” last week. Since nobody else in my family had the time off, and since I do not have enough vacation time left to manage a mandatory 2-week quarantine if I travel, I couldn’t go visit my parents in Florida. That meant I had to keep myself occupied for a week at home by myself. I could have gotten sucked into a week of chores, and a tv marathon of home remodeling shows. While... Read more
“When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. “Nice bit of verbal wriggling there, Lord,” I mutter as I read. “Legal Twitter would be impressed. You only have to remember Your covenant when there’s a rainbow and anyway, You don’t have to... Read more
“Lent is a journey of return to God…It is a time to reconsider the path we are taking to find the route that leads us home and to rediscover our profound relationship with God, on whom everything depends.”—Pope Francis in his Ash Wednesday homily For so many of us, it feels like this whole year has been Lenten with all we have given up. Giving up something more may not be the best way for some of us to prepare... Read more
“Hey, Mom. Are you excited about Ash Wednesday?” This is my daughter, who gets excited about everything out of the ordinary, from President’s Day to going to the doctor’s office for a shot. It’s pretty ironic that she’s my child, since I love the mundane so much that I used to co-author a blog devoted to the beauty of Ordinary Time. “Um, sure. I guess.” All I can picture is a group of cheerleaders grudgingly mumbling, “Give me an L.... Read more
When I was a freshman in parochial high school, the nun I had as a French teacher deadpanned that the French are the worst Catholics in the world. The idea of being on their best behavior for the 40 days of Lent was too much to bear, so they invented Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) to tide them over. Given that this particular Sister of Mercy was herself of French descent, we all knew it was tongue-in-cheek. She clearly was... Read more
Time flies when you are having fun (at home. In a pandemic.). Lent begins this week. So here are a few bits of lighthearted fun that are keeping me going before I solemnly consider my own death for the forty days leading up to Easter: Pitchers and Catchers Report this week! Few things in this world make me happier than the return of baseball season, and Spring Training begins this week at ballfields in Florida and Arizona and other... Read more
We do one thing or another; we stay the same or we change. Congratulations, if you have changed. Mary Oliver, “To Begin with, the Sweet Grass” Change is an interesting phenomenon in the Christian tradition. On the one hand, the strong Aristotelian and Thomistic underpinnings of Christian theology assert that God is unchanging. He is the unmoved mover, the one fixed point in all reality. And yet, the Incarnation, the ultimate paradox, turns this idea on... Read more
As a teacher and an total bookworm, going to the public library every week has long been a treasured part of my regular routine. Covid-19 restrictions closed the public libraries in my state for several months, recently reopening with significant restrictions. I miss my time in the stacks as much as I’ve missed anything. While few of the libraries in my part of the state are allowing patrons to come back into the buildings, they have been really innovative in... Read more
The Job story does NOT sit well with me. At all. Why, I wonder, was the Book of Job included in our sacred canon? Is it because misery loves company? Today’s reading from Job likely resonates with you, no matter where in the world you are. A full year into the global pandemic, relief seems a long way off still. Millions of us have been sick, have lost jobs, have lost loved ones because of the Covid-19 virus. Like... Read more
Naming names: St. Joseph did it and so do monks. I am a monk in the Order of St. Benedict. My monastery keeps the tradition of our superior, the abbot (from a Biblical word for a father), bestowing a new name on a man after he enters and makes vows. This name change is a sign of being born into the monastic family, starting a new life and mission to follow the teachings of St. Benedict. Benedict wrote... Read more
Sick Pilgrim
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