In my imagination, I am a girl of 10 years old, playing tag with my older brother. We are running through the stone streets of Jerusalem on a Friday morning. My calloused feet are well-accustomed to the alleyways and paths, to the steps and hills; I know my way around and am familiar to theContinue reading “As one in the crowd”
Tag Archives: paschal mystery
Groaning and gratitude
I am wide-awake in a dark hospital room. I survived a gruesome hiking accident that left me bloody and alone in the bottom of a ravine, but I’ve been told that I’ll have reconstructive jaw surgery the next day. My family and Franciscan sisters have gone home to sleep for the rest of the night.Continue reading “Groaning and gratitude”
Honoring all the souls
It felt like an ordinary Sunday Mass. I knelt and prayed next to people I love. I sang hymns loudly, straight out from my heart. I bowed and received communion; chewing, sipping and swallowing all to gain union with the Body of Christ. Then, at the end of Mass, a nice man stood up andContinue reading “Honoring all the souls”
Our God who Suffers
A few weeks ago, one of my cousins committed suicide. It was a shock to all of us who knew and loved him. His death still remains sad and painful for many of us. Personally, the experience of suffering with my family taught me much about the power of God’s love. In a new wayContinue reading “Our God who Suffers”
oh, God
The solid statues seem to suggest that the horror of the cross is only historical. We gather in dark churches to remember, and mix the meaning into our mind right along side wars, genocide, crusades and the holocaust. Black and white photos in the history books tell us to keep telling the story and memorializeContinue reading “oh, God”
loving to death
My holy week began in a simple rural church in Iowa. With crowds of farming families I chanted “crucify him, crucify him.” My voice shook with shame. It’s not pretend, it’s prayer. Tears welled up within. Why did the Church design it that I have to be the one who sentences my love to death? Stone-coldContinue reading “loving to death”