The person who wrote a reflection on this line from scripture knew meditation. The reflection goes like this: Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be. If we go into prayer with this, leaving a space between each line, we make Read more
When we explore the historic writings of the Church, we often find veins of gold that enrich our spiritual life. Usually, the gold is in a simple statement and sometimes it is quite ancient. Always it is right for the moment we discover it. This is the way God works. I still cherish a vein Read more
I admit I am one of those people who divide God’s world according to my notions of comfort. My personal preference is transferred so that I see some things as good and some as not good. Monarch butterflies are lovely, white butterflies are ugly. I admire a porpoise but not a shark. In my garden, Read more
Spiritually, we are all called to be pregnant with God and to give birth to Christ in the world. Men and women alike, this is our mission, and the mother of Jesus gives an outline of what that birthing is all about. Scripture doesn’t offer a lot of information about Mary. But if we look Read more
Sometimes, an author of children’s books is invited into schools far beyond the tourist’s world. The richness of such an experience can be life-changing. The would-be teacher becomes a learner as an understanding of God grows beyond cultural boundaries. I’ve learned that other cultures do not have a different understanding of God: they simply use Read more
Reading about meditation is not the same as doing it, but I have always found words helpful. Wise writings from the Church touched something in me that was formless yet real and was waiting to be acknowledged. I think that many of us start meditation after realising this world doesn’t meet our deepest desires. Human Read more
The Bible is a Catholic book, so why don’t Catholics read it? That question is still with me, although I understand why the Church has discouraged personal interpretation of Scripture. Some misinterpretations of the Bible have caused strife and division in Christianity. At times, spiritual signposts have been pulled out of the ground of history Read more
One of the gifts of ageing is retrospection. We look back on the patterns in our life and see the way God has played with us, always taking us to a larger place of faith. We see the winters that turned into spring growth, loss that made way for a new kind of, gain, steep Read more
Your fridge may be full of nourishment for the body, but it’s possible that the outside of the door holds some food for the soul. Does your fridge door, like mine, collect sayings that become little teachings fastened by magnets? And do those teachings increase to find space in other parts of the house? I’d Read more
It is a blessing to have a Pope who sees a world of religious multiplication rather than religious division. Many of us grew up in an era of “We are right and the others are wrong.” Christian churches seemed to have high fences around them, and religions that were not Christian were often labelled “Heathen” Read more