I wrote these Stations of the Cross with the Covid Pandemic in mind, as both a way to pray for…
The Great Letting Go
At some point in my mid-thirties I realized I was holding on a little too tightly. It manifested as an…
Harden not your heart
After the destructive and seditious actions at our nation’s Capitol this past week, I found myself filled with anger. Maybe…
A 2020 Epiphany
The births of our first two children were laborious, frantic affairs. Due to long labors and deliveries, the babies were…
[I find you, Lord, in all Things and in all]
A poem by Rainer Maria Rilke for the Feast of Christ the King: [I find you, Lord, in all Things…
They can’t touch my soul
Like many Americans, I experienced a fair bit of anxiety over the course of the election. The morning after election…
School of Love
It was at the end of a frazzled-to-the-bone day of parenting, when everything seemed to go wrong. I was rocking…
Holy Ordinary
The holy ordinarya radiant grilled cheeseand flies swarming the dirty diapers A squirrel burst the seed bagate all the sunflower…
Keeping the Vigil
They didn’t teach me audio engineering or cinematography when I got my Masters in Theology. Maybe they should have, I…
Hide and Seek
One thing that struck me in reading the multitude of resurrection narratives is the fact that Jesus rarely appears to…
A Good Friday Prayer for a Pandemic
Jesus never stopped praying. Even as he hung on a cross, desperately trying to breathe, his lungs filling with fluid,…
Flowers are Everywhere
It has become a sort of rallying cry: “Flowers are everywhere!” “There’s a dandelion growing in the sidewalk!” “There’s a…
Lent in the Time of Coronavirus
On March 12th I was supposed to be on a plane to Italy, leading a group of travelers through Rome…
Unraveling that Tangled Knot
For those of you who may be feeling overwhelmed or worried, about war or violence or the general chaotic state…
A Good Christmas
In a hazy afterglow after Christmas, in the liminal space between the years, when every dying spark of cheer hangs…
The Stable of the Human Heart
St. Bernard of Clairvaux speaks of Three Advents. The First one we are familiar with, it prepares us for the…
Poems for an early snow
Snow DayIf I lived a thousand livesof great honor and renownthis simple day with youwould be the jewel in my…
Divine Mother, Divine Mover: A Marian Spirituality of Pilgrimage
I gave a talk last night at the 1st Annual Mother Mary Dinner at the Precious Blood Renewal Center. It…
A Violent Summer
In the fading light of evening my son is speaking of butterflies. We had just read the old favorite, The…
Preparing for Pilgrimage
I’m gearing up for my semi-annual pilgrimage to Italy. We’ll be visiting Rome, Orvieto, Siena, Florence, Monteriggioni, Lucca, and Vernazza.…
The Liturgy of the Sleep-Deprived Hours
In early April we welcomed our son George to the family, and amidst a flurry of changes to our daily…
The Wounded Heart of Holy Week
As Holy Week began, we watched Notre Dame burn. As the fire raged, we watched works of art incinerated, history…
Christ in the Desert, Bored Out of His Mind
Our Gospel for this First Sunday of Lent tells us that Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit…
True Joy
This Lenten season is designed to prepare our souls to experience fully the joy of Easter. I can’t think of…
Love in the Ruins
A cold and wet rain has fallen on Kansas City for two days. I sit outside my usual go-to church…
The Holy Ache of Advent
“The lovely old carols played and replayed till their effect is like a dentist’s drill or a jackhammer, the bathetic…
The Love That Moves The Sun And Stars
God accepts me, just as I am. God loves me, just as I am. God forgives me, just as I…
Wounds & Wolves
Driving a long a narrow stretch of Kansas highway last spring, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the sunset,…
Five Ways to Survive (Yet Another) Church Crisis
The current crisis in our church has left many Catholics feeling emotionally and spiritually drained, and despair or cynicism may…
From the Archives: We Need Victim-Centered Reform
In October of 2010 I wrote in US Catholic about the clericalism, arrogance, and triumphalism at the heart of the…
