The ornate ironwork and richly carved hardwood panels left no doubt: This mansion had long been home to the very best that life has to offer—abundance and riches well beyond what my middle-class circumstances could ever envision.
And so I found it ironic, to say the least, that our tour guide was a Franciscan nun—a woman joyfully living out her vow of poverty at her community’s Motherhouse in Mishawaka, Indiana.
Live long enough, and you’re bound to encounter it I suppose: A feeling of utter helplessness.
‘So what do you do?’ a friend asked, as he shared the story of a 31-year-old step-niece who’s turning tricks to support her drug addiction.
Perhaps the feast day simply snuck up on us. Whatever the reason, we experienced a Lectionary malfunction at the early Mass today. The page was set to a Friday in Ordinary time—not to the readings prescribed for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus –and our lector initially began proclaiming a passage from 2 Timothy, instead of Ezekiel.
Heading into the home stretch on Lent this year… so how are those resolutions working out for you? You might find it fruitful to spend some of your time at Rann’s place…to check out what some Catholic bloggers have had on their minds in recent weeks.
My latest posts have touched on a number of subjects — including the spiritual link between two biblical women … thoughts about how gratitude is the best attitude when there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day … a reflection on the life-giving streams into which we sometimes accidentally step … and the grace to be found in the trying circumstances that sometimes surround us. Blessings to all!
Let us pause to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy One
I was nearly swept away last evening when I inadvertently stepped into a torrent of teenage energy.
How about heading with me over to Rann’s place, to catch up on some thoughts from other Catholic bloggers?
This week’s Question of the Week at Sunday Snippets — name a favorite book and tell us what you like about it — reminded me that I haven’t updated the list of “favorite books” on my company website for a long, long time. A resolution perhaps for the upcoming week? On a related note: I responded to a tip by “requesting” a copy of Michael O’Brien’s The Island of the World from the library this week…and was dismayed to discover that it runs nearly 1,000 pages long. A bit ambitious for a two-week library loan, I’m thinking. But I may very well add it to my Amazon.com wish list!
As for my blog posts this week: I recounted the circumstances around a little dance I did inside a prison last Saturday; and I reflected on benefiting from wisdom found in Ezekiel in mulling over my visceral response to one of the great issues of the day.
Let us pause now…to remember that we are in the presence of the Holy One.
I came thisclose to ripping a page out of my daily devotional this morning.
Jacob finds himself between a rock and a soft place in the reading we heard at Mass today. (Genesis 28: 10-22)
With Us Still 
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