Lessons from Snow: A Mixed Blessing

Now that Boston is buried under more than 100 inches of snow and my Cleveland driveway is coated with it yet again, I decided to reflect on snow. A good snowfall is one human experience that Jesus never had since he lived in a desert climate. The most he probably ever knew of snow was […]

Bad Luck, Good Luck, Redemption

This week I learned a new word, eucatastrophe. J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, coined it for a calamity in a story that turns out to be something good. It reminded me of a story that Sister Mary St. Jude used to tell: One day, a farmer’s old horse […]

Blessings upon Blessings

Recent changes in the Mass have woken us up to the words said. What caught my attention is that twice we proclaim, “Blessed be God forever!” We do what we were created to do: We recognize God’s greatness and praise him with all the angels and saints. Bless is a two-way word. We bless God […]