Precious Gift of Your Life
Today I came across this short talk on my computer. I forgot where I gave it. May you will find it inspiring: You’ve probably seen photos from the Hubble telescope that show the galaxy Andromeda, the one closest to us. It makes you dizzy. There are billions of stars in it. Beyond that there are […]
Your Life as a Gift to Give as Gift
This week I gave a retreat for a school faculty whose theme for the year was “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (2 Corinthians 12:7). St. Paul goes on to list gifts given by the Spirit such as uttering wisdom, healing, prophecy, and speaking in tongues. We spent […]
Ordinary Time in the Church Year (or Extraordinary)
According to the Church calendar, this is the first week in Ordinary Time. The weeks are referred to by ordinal numbers, which is why they are called ordinary. There are 34 of them. In the usual sense of the word ordinary, these weeks are not special seasons like Advent or Easter. But is any week […]
The Power of Memory
The November issue of Smithsonian carries an article about two scientists who added a false frightening memory to a rat’s brain. The rat then reacted with fear although it was in a safe box. Having located the source of our memories promises to yield discoveries that will help with Alzheimer’s and PTSD. Imagine if memories […]
Pope Francis’ Recipe for Happiness
Bloggers sometimes invite others to write a “guest blog.” This week my blog is “written” by Pope Francis and consists of his ten secrets to happiness, which he gave during an interview. His items have been criticized for being too humanist (because they don’t refer to God) and too non-gospel (because one of them discourages […]
Life as a Test
Star Trek fans might recall my favorite episode in which aliens test a woman to see if her race is worthy of saving on another planet. The woman is an empath, someone who can absorb the suffering of others. Her test is to take on the pain of Dr. McCoy when he is dying, and […]
Life Lesson from St. Clare
In this week when we ponder the eternal life won for us, I thought I’d share thoughts about our precious earthly life from a page in a book I’m currently writing: Saint Clare guided by St. Francis, founded the first Franciscan community for women. Today at the Poor Clare monastery in Assisi, visitors can view […]
Malaysian Plane, a Double Mystery
So far no one on earth can explain what happened to the Malaysian plane that disappeared somewhere over the ocean. This horrifying occurrence may forever remain a mystery. The shocking, sudden deaths of 239 people poses a greater mystery: why would God allow this to happen? I’m writing this on the feastday of St. Julie […]
Tapping into Gifts
For years, decades actually, I’ve been trying to learn Spanish. One discouraging drawback is that I couldn’t roll my “r’s.” Nothing I was told or read on the Internet helped. Then last week, without even giving it a thought, I pronounced the word for “guitar,” and the “r’s” rolled! It was not at all how […]
Easter Eggs’ Lesson on Life and Death
Three Easter memories: Every Easter my mom melted beeswax in a coffee can lid and using a pin stuck in the end of a matchstick painted graceful patterns on eggs. The eggs emerged from a bath in Chick-Chick dye vividly colored. These eggs were robbed of their chance to bring forth chicks. Instead they became […]