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Often the date of death is called one’s birthday into eternal life. Consequently the date of death sometimes becomes the day on which the Church celebrates canonized saints. If our foundress Hilligonde Wolbring (in religious life Sister Maria Aloysia) ever becomes canonized, May 6 could become her feastday. That date would be felicitous, because one…

Mary F. C. Pratt writes in her poem “Spring Beholding” that “bluebird, robin, forgotten songs come home.” When life is fraught with tension, when the burdens weigh us down, we forget to sing. But if we can even remember the musical line “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,” the memory of this doleful songs names…

During Lent, fish fry events spring up like weeds after a drought. Certainly this is advantageous for the church coffers and convenient for those abstaining from meat. But from a scriptural point of view, why stop eating fish after Easter? Didn’t Jesus prepare a breakfast of fish after he rose from the dead? Weren’t fish…

There used to be a commercial asking the question: “How do you spell relief?” My answer is “T-R-U-S-T.” Trust in “Ask, and you shall receive.”  Trust in “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Trust in “I will never forget you.” Certainly there are times in life when trust seems almost impossible. Our…

Joseph, Man of prayer, Man of prayer-filled expectation, Man of prayer filled with expectant longing Man of prayer filled with expectant longing for birth Man of prayer filled with expectant longing for birthplace in Bethlehem Man of prayer filled with expectant longing for birthplace in Bethlehem of no room Of no room for a God…

The story of Moses approaching the burning bush is a favorite story. Like Moses, we learn to be alert and curious to discover God’s presence in unlikely places. A thorn bush in a desert? And we learn to listen wherever God calls us, there where our hearts begin to burn in a place where we…

Lent is a time to deepen our spirituality, but what really is spirituality? Patricia Livingston says “Spirituality is meeting God in all that life is.” Similarly Gerard Broccolo claims, “Spirituality is how I cope with life.” Richard Rohr writes, “Spirituality is always about letting go.” Perhaps you have your own definition of spirituality. I think…

“For our sakes God made him who did not know sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the very holiness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21) We call Jesus Christ by many names: Lord, Messiah, Prince of Peace, Good Shepherd, Bread of Life, King, Brother, and the list goes on. Today’s Second…