Don

I came across this prayer at the website of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. They are the ladies responsible for my initial formation as a Franciscan nearly 50 years ago. May this day remind us of our call and desire to follow Christ.May the Spirit of the Lord find its dwelling place in us, that … Read more

Fr. John Dear has a well written piece that goes to the heart of much of what I’ve been feeling in my own heart lately. “Open your Bible to Matthew 5 and you will never be the same. Gandhi and King called those passages the grandest manifesto of non-violence ever written — beginning with the … Read more

I love to listen to Gregorian Chant. This year I was able to spend a couple of different periods at Mt. Saviour Monastery and yesterday I visited Genesee Abbey with my mother. There is something very restful and sacred about chant. Today with the help of Apple’s ITunes I was able to download “Chant from … Read more

The Road to Damascus was a point of conversion for the Apostle Paul and each of us has had his or her own Road to Damascus. I’ve frequently read Sister Joan Chittister’s weekly columns in the National Catholic Reporter, but I’ve skipped a few weeks because I’ve gotten sidetracked reading other things. Today I followed … Read more

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall — think of it, ALWAYS!–Mahatma Gandhi. This gives me hope when thinking of the Iraq War and … Read more

We live with the conviction that acts of goodness reflect the hidden light of His Holiness. His light is above our minds but not beyond our will. It is within our power to mirror His unending love in deeds of kindness, like brooks that hold the sky.”- Rabbi Abraham Heschel I read a well written … Read more

A while back I read Albert Nolan’s, “Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom.” In the book Nolan had a quote taken from the Koran. When I read, “God is as close to a man as his jugular vein.” I knew at once I was face to face with truth. I can’t prove such an … Read more

Reading the news and spin today of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group is cause for one of those, “I told you so” moments. Four years ago, I was among a group of Americans and Franciscans who wrote numerous letters to the President of the United States and members of Congress asking them not … Read more

This morning before I left the house to run I read the readings for today’s Mass. I love the first reading from Isaiah. It is one of my favorites and hangs near the entry to the House of Peace at Mt. Irenaeus. “On this mountain the LORD of hostswill provide for all peoplesA feast of … Read more

I’m reading a book “Music of Silence” by Br. David Steindl-Rast. I drove to Mt. Saviour Monastery yesterday after Mass and Brunch at Mt. Irenaeus. I wanted to spend some time in their bookstore and some quiet time in their chapel on the First Sunday of Advent as we prepare for the coming of the … Read more