Peace Prints

At our Secular Franciscan Fraternity meeting on Sunday one of our members distributed “Peace Print” refrigerator magnets and car magnets. Sr. Karen Klimczak, was brutally murdered in Buffalo, New York on Good Friday last year. I never met her, but she leaves a legacy of peace. You can read more here. I decided to take … Read more

The Least

Monday’s gospel is my favorite. It is the passage that motivates my life and much of what I believe in as a Franciscan. ““Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I … Read more

Fasting from Violence

It’s Lent again and many people will be fasting. Some will give up chocolate. Some will give up snacks. Many will give up something they enjoy eating or drinking. The idea of fasting and suffering during Lent is an ecumenical idea. A few years ago I gave up the news for Lent and actually carried … Read more

The blessing of family

We returned home late this morning to sunny skies in Buffalo and Western New York. We began our travel just past midnight from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. Parting with family is always tough for me. It hasn’t gotten much easier than the days I first left home to attend college and later to … Read more

Turn Away from Sin and be Faithful to the Gospel

I just got back to my sister’s home from Mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Tempe, AZ. I really got a huge helping of ashes. These Arizonan’s aren’t stingy with ashes. Today we visited the Arizona Desert Botanical Gardens and while contemplating today’s readings I thought of another of my favorite quotes from Scripture, … Read more

Batty

Yesterday we visited Kartchner Caverns near Benson, AZ. I recommend you visit there if the opportunity presents itself. While we were there my wife and I spotted some headgear that we got a chuckle out of. Little did I realize that Diane would purchase this unique apparel and put it on my head when we … Read more

A Spiritual Person

A spiritual person tries less to be godly than to be deeply human. Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. I love this quote. It came from Gratefulness.org. It really resonates and I’m grateful to the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province who have shown me how to be holy while being wholly myself. We’re off today … Read more

Joy of Sharing

A person who, alone, has seen something beautiful, who has heard something harmonious, who has tasted something delicious, who has smelt something fragrant, may have enjoyed it, but not completely. The complete joy is in sharing one’s joy with others. –Pir-O-Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan

Thoughts

We arrived in Tempe, Arizona last night. It was just prior to midnight when our plane landed and my sister and her husband graciously met us at SkyHarbor Airport. This morning we awoke to cloudless skies and limitless sunshine. Living in Western New York where such commodities don’t easily abound tends to make me grateful … Read more