Deacon Gregory WebsterA friend of mine in the Ignatian Associates has been telling me of late that she has been writing letters to God every day. Little did I know this idea was from Flannery O’Connor: “Dear God, In a way I got a good punishment for my lack of...
Vincent Ryan RuggieroSpecial days of thanksgiving existed in earlier cultures, including Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and ancient Jewish, yet we Americans are more familiar with the ones that occurred several hundred years ago in Florida, Virginia, and most notably Plymouth...
Fr Dino VaninWithout fail, from time to time, at least since about the year 1000 AD, self-appointed prophets of doom have predicted the imminent end of the world. Those who are more easily affected by predictions of doom lose the last shreds of their peace of...
I guess it’s the stage in life I am in, but the millennial generation really scares me. It’s our fault. We’ve fed them a steady diet of artificial sweetener and then wonder why they can’t handle the bitterness in life. Last night I was jarred awake...
Fr Joseph EsperChances are you’ve heard of the famous Passion Play of Oberammergau in Germany. Back in 1633, one hundred villagers died in an epidemic of the bubonic plague, and the people vowed that if God would spare the rest of them, they would reenact the...
Deacon Donald CoxIn the past, I ministered at one of the prisons in Michigan. In that experience, I learned that there are basically two types of inmates. There are those who will benefit from the experience, take advantage of the counseling opportunities that are...
How should we handle those stubborn, relentless, pesky distractions that seem to spoil our prayer time and fill us with mounting frustration? The first thing that can be said about this thorny and troubling topic is that it is affecting every single...
In this reflection on prayer I will attempt to describe private forms of prayers that are better designed to create the spiritual environment in which God reveals to us who we are, vis-à-vis who we are not; where we truly stand in relation to him...
The word “liturgy” refers to the work of someone on behalf of the people. In our case, it refers to our collective effort to be sustained by the Source of life in all components of our being, especially our mind, heart, body and soul. This work...
On a recent Saturday night my family and I, along with 75,000 friends, went to the “Stroll on State” event in Rockford, Illinois. It was the city’s opening festivity for the Christmas season. For this event, the city shuts down its main stretch on...