Weekly Reflection

Dear Friends, Have you ever ignored a phone call… not because you didn’t hear it, but because you just didn’t have the energy to deal with whatever was on the other end? Sometimes it’s not that we’re busy. Sometimes we’re just tired. And sometimes life can wear us down so much that parts of us … Read more

As we move together into the Fourth Week of Lent, our Gospel from John tells of how Jesus cures a man of blindness. Blind since birth. And as things were in Jesus’ time righteous people—or those who consider themselves so, believed disabilities—be it blindness, paralysis, deformity or a multitude of any physical inadequacies; we brought … Read more

Dear Friends, In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray. And while they are there, something extraordinary happens. His face shines. His glory is revealed. For a moment, everything feels clear, holy, and full of peace. And Peter says what most of us would probably say: let’s stay here. … Read more

As a proud Puerto Rican, I absolutely loved everything about this year’s halftime performance! Super Bowl LX’s halftime show, led by Bad Bunny, felt like more than entertainment. It felt like a pause—a collective exhale—one of those rare moments when a massive spectacle quietly turns into reflection. There had been plenty of noise leading up … Read more

Dear Friends, Be salty! Stay lit! For whatever reason, an advertisement for a sweatshirt with that phrase keeps appearing on my Facebook page. I’ve been tempted to buy it because, in these days more than ever, in the midst of so many challenges in the Church and in our country, it is so important for … Read more

This past weekend, while most of us suffered in the coldness of the snow, Father Liam snuggled up to his computer and attended a virtual ‘Centering Prayer Summit’ entitled, Learning to See in the Dark.  It might be a surprise to you to find out but Father and I speak almost every day. No, not always … Read more

I waited to write. I needed to wait. I needed time for my dismay and then my palpable anger and fear to dissipate. I needed facts and I needed time to assimilate all the news. Then, I wrote. I know I’d make a lot more friends if I didn’t speak up like this, but that’s … Read more

Dear Friends, Last Sunday at Mass I quoted those lyrics from Sarah Kroger’s song, Belovedness. Here are few more of those lyrics: You’ve owned your fear and all your self loathing. You’ve owned the voices inside of your head. You’ve owned the shame and reproach of your failure. It’s time to own your belovedness. You’ve owned … Read more

This Sunday we honor the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This is one of the “theophanies” – that is God’s self-revelation to man. In this one event the whole Trinity reveals itself! It is why I absolutely love artist Mike Moyers beautiful work used as my image today! God the Son makes himself … Read more

So, how’s the ADVENT CHALLENGE going with you?  If you remember (and how could you possibly forget anything I say?!), I offered my traditional Advent Challenge once again this year: During all the noisiness of daily life—which often gets even more frenetic during the Christmas Season), dedicate yourself to 15-20 minutes of silence every day. … Read more

Dear Friends,  Sssshhhh! Be quiet! Do you hear?  Do you see? Can you sense it: the coming of the Son of Man? The Presence?  We begin the Advent Season. And often the readings for the first few Sundays of Adent seem ominous. Like today: Jesus talks about the mysterious “coming of the Son of Man” … Read more

Beloved Family in Christ, As we come to this Sunday’s celebration of the Feast of Christ the King, we’re invited to ask a very personal question:  Who or what really rules my heart?  The Church ends the liturgical year not with a warning, but with a beautiful reminder that above all the noise, uncertainty, chaos … Read more

Dear Friends, Today we see Jesus and the Sadducees discussing resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection and eternal life (So, they were sad, you see?). It seemed impossible for them. It made no sense. There was no verifiable proof. Yet, Jesus counters that it is only because of the limits of their imagination … Read more

Dear Friends,  When we see the grateful leper return to Jesus to thank him, we, of course, think of gratitude. Which, in turn, makes me think of the oft quoted Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it we be enough.” Well, that got me thinking: … Read more

My Dear Friends, This week I will journey to Assisi, the home of Saint Francis, with my oldest and dearest friend, Liam. In the company of friendship, I am reminded of how Francis lived: he saw every relationship as a window into God’s love and every person—no matter how different—as a brother or sister. Our nation, as … Read more

Dear Friends, Greetings from Assisi! With all the violence and chaos going on back home in the US right now and with all the war and violence in many parts of the world, I wanted to share with you a quote from Rowan Williams. This is the quote with which I end each weekly retreat, … Read more

When life gets overwhelming, our instinct is often to look down. We look down at our phones, our shoes, the floor—anywhere but up. When we’re hurting, when we’re tired, when life feels too heavy, we often close in on ourselves, but today, on this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Church invites … Read more

Ah, good ol’ Ruby Turpin.  Today’s gospel parable always brings to mind for me the character from Flannery O’Connor’s short story Revelation. In fact, Flannery wrote this story these words of Jesus in mind: “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” In the story, Ruby considers herself … Read more

Dear Friends, Jesus uses not just one, but three parables, to make his point in today’s gospel from Luke! Now far from wanting to frighten us into not “getting caught” misbehaving and suffering the consequences of eternal punishment, Jesus is encouraging us to live fully awake, aware, and alive. As Sr Ephrem Hollermann puts it, … Read more