I can’t anymore. Sometimes urgently, sometimes softly but persistently, several times a day these words echo in my brain. They seem like an interruption and they need to be heard. I can’t anymore. In a world on fire, I am exhausted. As a spiritual director, I am a professional listener. Everyone I listen to right…
My heart is torn in two by the situation in Palestine and Israel. Every day the situation sounds more dire and I feel more helpless. In seeking for some clarity I reached out to my former Quaker campus minister at Guilford College, Max Carter. He lived and served in the Palestinian West Bank in the…
Recently I dreamed that I changed congregations. As a Franciscan sister (FSPA) who made first vows almost 20 years ago, I have never thought of being in a different order. But that morning, after the dream, I had my regular prayer time. As I prayed and talked to God, suddenly a desire started to take…
For years in the depths of depression I had constant thoughts of not wanting to live any longer. This suffering felt tragic and senseless. I could not see a future. It was hard even to see God. I felt worthless, at the same time that I was living my vows as a Franciscan Sister of…
Eucharist and Synodality. These two words are not easily defined, but are shaping my life and the way of our church these days. Specifically the Eucharistic Revival and the Synod on Synodality are two major events in our Catholic Church this year that are helping define our path forward. And honestly, sometimes it feels like…
We say it all the time. “The Gospel.” As ashes were put on our forehead for this season of Lent, we may have heard, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” We read from the Gospels at every mass. As a Franciscan, I am fond of the saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times, use words…
The first things I noticed when I entered the hospital room were all the tubes and the constant whirr of the fan inflating the bed. Visiting Gary, who was lying in a specialized bed, connected to a breathing tube, was part of my rounds as a chaplaincy student. “I can’t walk, I’m connected to all…
It is hot as I walk across the grass. Really hot, with a heat index of 108 degrees, and the humidity is oppressive. Heavier than the heat are the thoughts in my own mind. Grief, pain and depression mix with this pervading sense of loss. I’m sad because of the chaos which is our world…
We walk in silence through the often-deserted streets, accompanied only by the solemn beat of one drum. Our feet fall into rhythm. It feels strange to walk with friends and companions without talking, but soon the silence becomes more comfortable and our moving along feels sacred. Together we form one body. At the front of…
The air is palpably different, more alive, almost tingling to the touch. The round room always feels like entering home and my gaze is fixed on one spot. Sometimes a river of warmth comes toward me and holiness is not even the right word to describe a feeling this immense. At the same moment, the…
St. Francis loved Christmas. He loved it so much that in the little village of Greccio, Italy, on a craggy hillside in 1223, he reenacted the nativity. He was not really a big words, intellectual guy. Francis liked to jump in with his whole heart and body. So the story goes that he invited the…
Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel yourself wanting to retreat from reality? I am with you, my friend. War, violence, refugees, the pandemic, climate catastrophes, fires, floods, droughts, division, racism and just solid injustice floods our senses and our hearts to the point of overwhelming despair. As I think about the heartache and horror, I…
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