Sometimes we see life on earth as teetering between consistency and chaos; and yet really, the teachings of life are about neither. They’re about contradictions. We recognize this as paradox; but we don’t always see the tension between opposing states as being necessary for our spiritual development. I guess I’m trying to say that in Read more
The text message read, “Meet your replacement.” Soon after, the picture arrived. I saw a litter of puppies, most playing and roaming around in the background, except for one. One puppy stood firmly with his back toward the camera, but with his head turned over his shoulder staring directly into the lens. His two huge Read more
Have you ever noticed that things marked “one size fits all” rarely do? “One size fits all” is simply not the way humanity works. We’re all quite different, whether it’s the length of our arms and the girth of our waists or the extravertedness of our temperament and the sensitivity of our emotions. We will Read more
On behalf of the world’s often unwanted refugees and migrants, Pope Francis in his Jan. 1 World Day of Peace message titled “Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in Search of Peace” pleads: “In a spirit of compassion, let us embrace all those fleeing from war and hunger, or forced by discrimination, persecution, poverty and Read more
I am a practicing Catholic and follow church teachings about the sanctity of life. In my personal life, that has meant long periods of abstinence, natural family planning, avoiding unwanted pregnancy, fidelity to my wife of 33 years, and welcoming the gift of three precious children. It has meant taking a year off from law Read more
The children were talking in class about the birth of Jesus. What did the angels look like? How many animals were in the stable? The only negative character in the story was the landlord of the inn. “He was mean!” a boy said. Really? I wondered why the world’s most beautiful story had to have Read more
One hundred years ago, on 11 December 1917, the British army occupied Jerusalem. As General Allenby’s troops marched through Bab al-Khalil, launching a century of settler colonialism across Palestine, prime minister David Lloyd George heralded the city’s capture as “a Christmas present for the British people”. In a few months’ time, we mark another such Read more
On 6 December, Donald Trump officially recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “It has been the capital of the Israeli people since ancient times,” said the President. “It’s undeniable, it’s just a fact.” Christians in Bethlehem responded to the news by burning photos of the American president. They held signs saying: “Jerusalem, Palestine’s heart, is not Read more
In 2005 while undergoing chemotherapy, I was sitting in an uncomfortable recliner on the sixth floor of the medical facility. An IV dripped poison into my veins that would simultaneously cure me of the cancer in my body, and wreak havoc on it, sending waves of nausea, chills, malaise. The concoction did not discriminate between Read more
I’ve always been fascinated by symbolism. There’s a kind of poetry to the symbols in our lives, beginning with the obvious and often superficial like a corporate logo, national flag, or coat of arms, but progressively deepening as we learn to speak their language. We see meaning everywhere in the universe, and symbolic meaning is Read more