the calm before the storm
In a way, this week is harder than next week. Next week, Holy Week, there will be plenty of liturgical anesthesia. There will be so much to do. Liturgies will…
fire and suffering
Suffering, says my friend, John O'Donohue, burns up our illusions in the fires of their power to bring new life. This flower reminds me of the beauty of fire When…
do not be afraid
The art of the spiritual life is to be able to archive. When I see my friend Nancy, who is an archivist for the cathedral, I am reminded of this…
Lion’s Head Soup
Lion’s Head Soup was never one of my favorites as a child. My mother made it in the Szechuan style with large meat balls the size of a softball. They…
the bee sting
As we make our way towards Holy Week, things are going to get a bit tougher. As a priest and pastor I am always amazed by how much happens in…
suffering
As we make our way towards Holy Week, we will begin a three-week series of meditations on suffering. I do not mean Jesus' suffering. That is done. I love that…
hearth
It is no wonder that the census of the middle ages was not counting people but hearths. And it is no wonder that the great Celtic prayers of mystic-mothers so…
gentle
Keeping lit the candle in the niche of our hearts can be hard. The holes in the walls of our interior lives can let in the fiercest of winds…
meditation in our turrets
This castle made of clay was one I made for my sister in the 1990's. It still sits in her garden by the front door and she seems to get…
meditation and suffering
The hardest part of meditation for me is the phase in which I am praying for the world beyond my own. What I mean by that is that when…