I come from a very ethnic Irish American family. A few years ago, I posted the recipe for soda bread that my grandmother, Hanorah Hayes Sullivan, taught me as a youngster. It is the one that they made in her village, Murroe, in Limerick. (She was a servant girl in the house of the Lord… Continue reading The Soda Bread Wars
Beannacht / Blessing by John O’DonahueOn the day when the weight deadens on your shoulders and you stumble, may the clay dance to balance you. And when your eyes freeze behind the grey window and the ghost of loss gets in to you, may a flock of colours, indigo, red, green, and azure blue come… Continue reading Irish Blessing for St. Patrick’s Day
Every Lent, I think of this amazing poem by Wendell Berry. It seems even more relevant given the times in which we live. Enjoy! Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay. Want more of everything ready-made. Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And… Continue reading Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
Ars Praedicandi: Ed Foley’s Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A by Fr. Ed Foley, Capuchin. At this stage of the season at this stage of the liturgy it is an exercise in the obvious to announce that it is Lent … If we don’t know that from the music,… Continue reading Lent inspiration from Fr. Ed Foley
From A Letter to a Young Activist Do not depend on the hope of results. When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, essentially an apostolic work, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results… Continue reading From Merton’s “Letter to a Young Activist”
Return to me with all your heart… return to the Lord” (Jl 2:12, 13). The prophet Joel makes this plea to the people in the Lord’s name. No one should feel excluded: “Assemble the aged, gather the children, even infants at the breast, the bridegroom… and the bride” (v. 16). All the faithful people are… Continue reading “Lent is a path…” Pope Francis
I have the funniest, smartest friends. Like Paul Greene, who is singlehandedly advancing the English lexicon, a word or phrase at a time. I particularly like wAsh Thursday, which greeted me this morning. I wanted to start Lent by reflecting on the meaning of Ash Wednesday, but life got the best of me and I… Continue reading wAsh Thursday
I had the joy of praying with the Immanuel Lutheran community for Ash Wednesday. Here is Pastor Paul Nelson's reflection on the Gospel and the day. Tonight, we begin our journey of reflection and repentance called Lent, a time to contemplate our daily discipleship more deeply, be honest about how we fall in sin and selfishness,… Continue reading Jesus, the Center of It All
From Msgr. Keith Derouen. 19 things you might consider giving up this Lent and beyond: Fear: God is on my side. In Him I am more than a conqueror. (See Romans 98) The need to please everyone: I can’t please everyone anyway. There is only one I need to strive to please. Envy: I am blessed. My value… Continue reading 19 Things (other than chocolate)…
I've moved beyond the crazy-busy, young-child years but I remember them well. I was touched by the candor and thought of this article by Jennifer Fulwiler, who offers a practice we might all benefit from in Lent. "Shortly after I converted to Catholicism, I found myself hopelessly overwhelmed. I had three children under age three, a seemingly… Continue reading 8 Reasons to Turn the Lights Out in Lent
