For those of you who may be feeling overwhelmed or worried, about war or violence or the general chaotic state of affairs that has become the new normal, I offer this quote, from Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. I pray it will bring you peace, and that this gift of peace may enable [...]
In a hazy afterglow after Christmas, in the liminal space between the years, when every dying spark of cheer hangs as precariously on our hearts as the ornaments cling to dead and drying trees, we may find ourselves ruminating: was it a good Christmas? In childhood, a good Christmas was decided by good presents. The [...]
St. Bernard of Clairvaux speaks of Three Advents. The First one we are familiar with, it prepares us for the birth of Christ at Christmas. The Second is Christ's return at the end of history, or the Second Coming. But the Third Advent is less known, and points to the arrival of Christ to dwell [...]
Snow DayIf I lived a thousand livesof great honor and renownthis simple day with youwould be the jewel in my crown. William waiting for the snow. 2016 3:22 a.m.At 3:22 a.m. out my back door the ice sparkles a sky full of stars brought lowwhile a baby sleeps above I am grateful for the darkness [...]
I gave a talk last night at the 1st Annual Mother Mary Dinner at the Precious Blood Renewal Center. It was an inter-religious dinner and dialogue on the figure of Mary in Catholicism and Islam. I spoke about Mary as a Mother, Mover, and Model of Pilgrims. Here is a link to the Presentation itself: [...]
In the fading light of evening my son is speaking of butterflies. We had just read the old favorite, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and I am admiring the outline of light as it touches his face. He is summarizing in his soft voice: “First, there’s an egg, then a caterpillar comes. Then it eats and [...]
I'm gearing up for my semi-annual pilgrimage to Italy. We'll be visiting Rome, Orvieto, Siena, Florence, Monteriggioni, Lucca, and Vernazza. Itineraries are set, flights and hotels booked, bags are packed, and, true to form, I'm preparing myself mentally for every possible thing that could go wrong. First off, there's an awful heatwave in Italy that [...]
In early April we welcomed our son George to the family, and amidst a flurry of changes to our daily and nightly schedule, one thing has remained consistent: we're tired. Very very tired. But the other great consistency is that I've tried to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office every day. [...]
As Holy Week began, we watched Notre Dame burn. As the fire raged, we watched works of art incinerated, history and heritage swallowed by the flames. The cross was on our mind. We had just read the Passion on Palm Sunday. We had set our faces like flint and looked towards Jerusalem and the cross. [...]
Our Gospel for this First Sunday of Lent tells us that Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tested, where he stayed for forty days and nights, before the Enemy arrived to tempt him. Like the hidden years from his childhood to his baptism, the scriptures tell us nothing about these [...]
This Lenten season is designed to prepare our souls to experience fully the joy of Easter. I can't think of anyone better to introduce us to this counter-cultural, counter-intuitive fullness of joy than the Poverello, the little Poor One, St. Francis of Assisi. Here's St. Francis on finding True Joy: One day at Saint Mary's, [...]
A cold and wet rain has fallen on Kansas City for two days. I sit outside my usual go-to church for confession and read that the pastor has just had a kidney transplant, please pray for him. I consider going home. After all, I tried, it's cold and rainy and I'm tired. Moreover, I had [...]
"The lovely old carols played and replayed till their effect is like a dentist's drill or a jackhammer, the bathetic banalities of the pulpit and the chilling commercialism of almost everything else, people spending money they can't afford on presents you neither need nor want, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the plastic tree, the cornball creche, [...]
God accepts me, just as I am. God loves me, just as I am. God forgives me, just as I am. Therefore, I accept myself just as I am. I love myself just as I am. I forgive myself, just as I am. This was the penance the priest gave me a couple weeks ago [...]
Driving a long a narrow stretch of Kansas highway last spring, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the sunset, the narrow crescent of the moon hanging in a blue-orange sky and the emerging stars and planets. Below them however, I noticed the telltale signs of another prison: concrete boxes with narrow slits of windows [...]
The current crisis in our church has left many Catholics feeling emotionally and spiritually drained, and despair or cynicism may sound like very tempting options. But there are some alternatives to packing it up or going full nihilist. Here’s five tips for spiritually surviving (yet another) Church crisis. Find Some Spiritual Shelter As in all [...]
In October of 2010 I wrote in US Catholic about the clericalism, arrogance, and triumphalism at the heart of the sex abuse cover up in the Catholic Church. Due to the current mess, here is it is again: Why we need victim-centered reform. During his visit to the United Kingdom last month, Pope Benedict publicly acknowledged [...]
In the middle of our current mess in the Catholic Church, and our country, corresponding perfectly to my own mini midlife crisis, accusations fly, ideological battle lines are drawn, and I try, desperately, to regain my footing on something solid. I remember, in my 20s, seeing Thomas Cole's collection of paintings The Voyage of Life on [...]
An excellent compilation of resources on how to become informed, judge and act to stop the separation of families at the border. See, Judge, Act: The Pastoral Circle and Separation of Families at the Border — Jennifer Owens-Jofré — Read on http://www.jenniferowensjofre.com/blog/2018/6/16/see-judge-act-the-pastoral-circle-and-separation-of-families-at-the-border
Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Way! Also known as Madonna Della Strada. She is patroness of the Jesuits and my own personal go-to when life is full of changes. Madonna Della Strada Chapel at Loyola University Chicago is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and I was lucky enough to spend [...]
Update: Also posted by the great people at God In All Things at https://godinallthings.com/2018/04/09/resurrection-people/ "Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." - Pope John Paul II What does it mean to be an Easter people? What does it mean to celebrate the resurrection? For some, it [...]
On Wednesday of Holy Week I visited prison with some friends from a group called Bethany. They are made up of lay people and the most extraordinary women of the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth, who have been ministering to men in prison for over 20 years. Because the men will celebrate Easter Sunday on [...]
Yesterday I was running with my son's stroller, empty, on my way to pick him up from his grandma's (I repeat, the stroller was empty). I was careening down a hill when the front wheel began to wobble, and just as a car was passing me and in front of a host of utility workers, [...]
For those of you interested, a link to my old website, Where There Is Despair
Dear Gramps, We’ve had a lot of great conversations over the years, I remember chatting with you in my old truck about your time in Washington DC and Chicago. You seemed so mythical back then, an eternal patriarch that had seen and done it all. When I followed in your footsteps and went to Chicago, [...]
In the face of violence, obscene politicking, and all our seemingly insurmountable divisions, I propose no solutions. It is all above my pay grade. I cannot think a way out of any these disasters. In the face of a world gone mad, for now, I can only be silent. I can only try to see with clear [...]
Holding my baby boy in my arms a mere 4 hours after meeting him, I started crying. Not because of his awkward little dimples, not because of his tiny toes, not because of my same blue eyes staring back at me from within his tiny little face. I started crying because I realized how all the little [...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75szwX09pg8 I love Stephen Colbert. He is incisively hilarious, intellectually serious, and genuine and respectful with everyone he interviews. But more importantly, I think he appeals to the better angels of our nature. In the above clip, he has Professor of Theoretical Physics Briane Greene on his show to explain supernovas, the process of star [...]
Perpetually ruining that wonderful time of evening when the baby is sleeping and a cold cocktail rests in my hand is the thought, "I wonder what happens if a stray bullet flies through the nursery window?" My heart races, chest gets heavy. A midnight creak must be a burglar or serial killer downstairs who specializes in families. Or maybe it's mouse, [...]
Update: Last night, my beloved Grandpa William Joseph Rakers passed away. . Although he lived a long good life of 99 years, we feel a great loss. I wrote this five months ago and now as the leaves fall and the weather changes, it rings especially true. Last night I went home and snuggled up to [...]
