“The Lord will bless His people with peace.” This is one option for the responsorial for Sunday’s readings. Peace. We have had anything but peace in our nation this week. An insurrectionist mob stormed the capitol building, hoping to find the vice president and members of Congress inside. They were fully armed with military gear and zip ties, and had gallows set up outside. A Confederate flag was waved in the capitol, for the first time ever. At least four... Read more
From its inception, Sick Pilgrim was intended to reach Catholics and Catholics-in-exile on the margins. As Jessica Mesman said in her introductory post in 2015: “We wanted a space to write for ourselves and for those who are here in the church with us and those who are attracted to Catholicism but can’t find their way in. For those who have Catholic minds or Catholic aesthetics or Catholic hearts but remain, for whatever reason, outside the church, or who feel... Read more
If there was ever a year to celebrate the ending of a year and the fresh start that January 1st implies, it was 2020. Of course, thanks to the relentless Covid-19 virus, so many of the big celebrations we typically share around the world just didn’t happen. There were no crowds in Times Square. Hogmany, Edinburgh’s holiday street festival, was cancelled. London, Dublin, and Vienna followed suit. Not only were New Year’s festivities in Rio de Janiero cancelled, but so... Read more
Mary, the Mother of God By Karl Persson I must begin with a confession: I’m not good at dealing with Biblical passages that describe joy. It’s not because I disbelieve in the existence of joy or think it wrong to rejoice. Nor is it because I haven’t experienced joy myself. Rather, it’s because one of the most concerning developments among modern Christians is our conflation of joy and triumphalism. What perhaps at one point began as true joy –... Read more
We’re all experiencing this differently and have different access to resources, and I want to acknowledge that. Also, sometimes we may find light diversion helpful. Sometimes we may be overwhelmed and sit on the couch all evening staring into space. I support any and all activities that are getting you through this. That said, here is some of what has gotten me through so far: I rented the movie Emma on Amazon. (It costs $20 to rent because... Read more
That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see’st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west; Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire, That on... Read more
If you’re a long-time reader of Sick Pilgrim, you’ll know that we used to have a column called “Things Keeping Us Alive.” TKUA was meant to name small joys – places and times when we encountered unexpected grace. It was meant to remind us that there is an abundance of things to feed our spirits even in darkness and doubt. Well. If there ever was a time of darkness and doubt, a global pandemic is it, and so we’re... Read more
In these days of stay-at-home-orders and closed churches, many of us are looking for connection. We miss connection to other people, even the mere connection of a smile between strangers in a coffee shop. We miss connection to our spiritual communities as churches close to the public. Even a small prayer group among friends is a risk, and we choose to stay at home for the sake of those people we love most and most long to see. Into... Read more
On Ash Wednesday, to everyone’s surprise, especially mine, I went to the early morning mass at St. Paul’s up the street from me. It’s a quirky New England story of a church. In the 1800s, the British mill owner in the neighborhood did what all the other Brit mill owners of the time did—he built apartment houses, a grocery store, and a church for his employees. Those millworkers of the time (and the residents to this day, because inertia, man)... Read more
As someone with depression and anxiety, it’s always with mixed emotions that I approach Lent–and this because the experience of darkness and desert and mourning are in some ways close to me all year round. Yes, in one sense, Lent can be a blessing, since it is when Christ and the whole church suddenly join me amidst the darkness in solidarity. But in other ways, I can become a little annoyed and envious. In my more sour moods, it can... Read more
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