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How Pope Francis made me cry
Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is...
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Why me?
A year ago I took my younger choir to sing in the beautiful chapel of the old Jesuit retreat center outside of Boston. Another example of Jesuits adapting to meet current needs, the center has morphed...
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Before the blizzard
The fourth Tuesday in January was not my first blizzard. A wicked nor’eastah was blowing in to Boston, and we all knew what to do, but were still giving in to the childlike excitement of being snowed...
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The sacrifices we don’t choose
I have a secret I have been keeping for weeks now. After only a few weeks I backed out on my usual Lenten commitment of not drinking throughout the season. We were out at an event and someone put a...
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Tell the mystery of the glorious body
Good Friday one year ago: I had no singing engagements. I attended 3:00 pm service with my mother and we sat near the front of the church. Someone sang beautifully and it wasn’t me and I was envious. I...
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The vocation of singleness
I have to tell you about my vocation to the single life, but I don’t have much time. In a few short hours I will be married, and no single person will ever be able to relate to me again. Before I met...
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God in All Things; Things as they Are
One of my first yoga classes since months of medically mandated inactivity, and everything hurt immediately. Even in child’s pose my stiff legs ached, in plank my deconditioned core collapsed. What if...
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Finding Iggy, Finding a home
This week in honor of the feast of St. Ignatius (July 31) I will be sharing some reflections on Ignatian Spirituality, inspired by ignatianspirituality.com‘s #FindIggy campaign. Today I’m inspired by...
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The First Principle and Foundation (a #FindIggy repost)
This week in honor of the feast of St. Ignatius (July 31) I will be sharing some reflections on Ignatian Spirituality, inspired by ignatianspirituality.com‘s #FindIggy campaign. Today I’m sharing what...
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All souls, all aflame
All Souls’ Day snuck up on me this year, and I hadn’t given it much thought except to plan a short prayer experience for some students. We shared memories, read Scripture, and took the last 20 minutes...
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Keeping Advent
For someone who really likes to celebrate, I don’t get too fired up about my birthday. It’s just another day. I relish the Facebook messages and phone calls and occasional gifts, but I was never one to...
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What we need alongside “thoughts and prayers”
The most recent mass shooting has us all thinking and praying again. But last night’s reaction was different: there was an outburst of outrage at those who offer “thoughts and prayers” without...
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Mercy all around
Today the Church, led by Pope Francis, begins a Jubilee Year of Mercy. In preparing to discuss this with students I spent a lot of time reading about and contemplating mercy. Giving myself time to...
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Sing to the Lord a new song
Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds – Ps 98 Let us sing alleluia here on earth, while we still live in anxiety, so that we may sing it one day in heaven in full security…So,...
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When protest becomes prayer
O God, make us willing to do your will, come what may. Increase the number of persons of good will and moral sensitivity. Give us renewed confidence in nonviolence and the way of love as taught by...
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The clean heart: Why I do Lent
A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit. Psalm 51: 12 For he will be like a refiner’s fire. Malachi 3:2 At first the denial hurts. It feels like a punishment. So we are...
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The gift of the question
Each time Psalm 103 rolls around I am reminded that I truly believe The Lord is Kind and Merciful. Each time, too, I have to ask myself, what does that mean? It doesn’t mean that God waves the magic...
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Coming out of the dark
I hope I don’t die in the spring. I remember exactly where I was when I had that disconcerting thought. I was driving with the sunroof open through the busiest intersection of my urban neighborhood,...
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By your holy cross you have redeemed the world
What follows is a version of the remarks I gave today on a Good Friday walk for high school students, reflecting on the Stations of the Cross. It’s really an honor to be with you today, and especially...
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Discernment and the Spark of Conviction
“Every time you decide, there is loss, no matter how you decide. It’s always a question of what you cannot afford to lose. I’m not the one playing the piano here. You’re the one that needs to decide...
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