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Today on the first day of our Novena of Peace, Pope Francis invites us to “become islands of mercy in the midst of the sea of indifference!” Seeing the Sacred in all things will be the Spark that lights our way. Seeing with Merciful Eyes Changes Everything Our world is infected with religious fundamentalists who … Read more
Prayers & Questions for Meditation & Reflection STEP 1: In preparation for your time of meditation and prayer, find a quiet place where you can sit or recline comfortably. Take a moment to center yourself. Call all of your being into this moment leaving all your cares and worries for another time. Breathe deeply. If … Read more
Violence versus Peace: A Global Struggle It may seem that the world is becoming more unstable, more violent, less compassionate, and less forgiving. In many parts of the world, and for many people, that is true. Death and destruction—both the real and imagined as entertainment—gets an awful lot of media attention, which adds to the … Read more
What an interesting coincidence that hope is the topic for today, the first day of the new year. Every January first, a new seed of hope germinates within us. Will we, in this coming year, create or sustain the life we dream about? Can we become all that we sense is our destiny? Hope is … Read more
The second day of the Novena of Peace focuses on love. In St. Francis’ prayer to become an instrument of peace, we seek to love with our whole being. Lester Sauvage, MD has been an amazing example of that kind love. The quote that begins his autobiographical chapter in Opening Hearts is from the Jesuit prayer of … Read more
January is the month of birthday gifts for me even though my birthday is in June. Keene is my first gift and Cheri is my second. Before my middle child was born on January 22 three plus decades ago, I worried (of course I did; it’s a habit). Could I love her as much as … Read more
It was only a week into the New Year and I already needed to smooth my wobbly start to 2014. But luckily, I was graced with a couple of serendipitous events yesterday that helped get me right back on track. One was a phone call with a dear, long-time, long-distance friend who changed my perspective … Read more
The Servant’s Way Isn’t Easy The servant’s way is a challenging paradox; if it were easy, everyone would be following it. St. Francis understood the paradox of the servant’s way. Jesus mastered it. And teachers and prophets from many traditions teach the same paradox contained in the final words of the Prayer of St. Francis: For … Read more
The Way of Peace Is the Servant’s Way The essence of St. Francis’ teaching in the prayer that bears his name is that we must walk the Servant’s Way to become instruments of peace. This Servant’s Way presumes that we already properly love ourselves because we have recognized that not only are we children of … Read more
Where there is sadness, let me sow joy We cannot, nor should we, deny that sadness exists in the world. In any life, sadness will come to visit. But life itself is such a miraculous gift that even in distressing or dire circumstance, joy is possible. Sometimes, though, we need someone to remind us. Other times we need … Read more