I am a creature of habit. I like to repeat things over and over again. I like the things that are familiar. I find strength, depth, and meaning in the repetition. The discipline of repeating was ingrained in me as a child through my participation in competitive gymnastics. Gymnastics practices consisted of repeating routines over …
We live in a world that tells us we are not enough. The message you are not enough accompanied by the message you don’t have enough is so pervasive in our culture that if we are inattentive to our interior lives, we will let these messages inform our decisions and the way we function in …
On December 12, 1941, Thomas Merton entered the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani as a postulant. On that occasion he wrote a poem titled, Poem for My Friends, Dec 12—13. The poem expresses Merton’s view of monastic life as he stands on the edge of entering the silence. One line in the poem captures …
In an introductory course on the Hebrew Bible at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Professor Jared Jackson told us a story about a man from his church who died suddenly. In the pocket of the man’s coat there was a crinkled, faded, well-worn piece of notebook paper with a handwritten quote on it that read, I command …
Time is a constant in our lives but our relationship with it is always changing. I remember as a child, lying on my back on the floor and watching dust particles dancing in the sunlight. I had nothing else to do, no place to be, no one asking me to do anything, no thought that …
A few weeks before my daughter Molly got married, I went with her for her final dress fitting. Molly’s best friend Betsy met us there and after the fitting the three of us had lunch together. Betsy is the daughter of one of my closest friends, Cathy, and because Cathy and I helped each other …
When I attended the Ph.D. program in Systematic Theology at Duquesne University, I had a marvelous professor named Dr. Marilyn Schaub. She taught Hebrew Bible and Palestinian Archeology and became my advisor and mentor. She retired when I was in my second year of the program but was kind enough to stay in touch. For …
A few days ago, during a very intense and tension filled work week, I went to visit a friend and colleague in his office to ask him a few questions about a project on which we are both working. As I left my office, I wondered if I should put on the sweater I had …
Our breath is connected to our life. This is a simple and obvious statement and yet within this simple statement there is much to explore. Genesis tells us that when God created the first human, he formed him out of the earth and then blew into him the breath of life and the human became …
During mass on Good Friday, we sing a simple refrain quietly, meditatively repeating its few lines as we venerate the cross of Jesus Christ. Originally written by Jacques Berthier for the Taizé community near Cluny, Burgundy, both the tune and words are simple, Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus remember me …