Don

Thank you to Paula at More Light for this posting. Nagasaki and Hiroshima continue to be blights on the American consciousness. We as a nation are still in denial of the consequences of our own anger. My own mother, a cradle Catholic, continues to believe that Nagasaki and Hiroshima were justified. What is written here … Read more

Remember back in 2003 when the Dixie Chicks dissed the president? I do. I hadn’t paid any attention to those ladies up until then. I had to admire these young ladies who stood up for what they believed in. It cost them to take a stand, but you gotta admire folks who put their money … Read more

When I was at Auriesville on Saturday I stood in front of a large memorial to the pro-life movement. It had the seal of a diocese I think and many endorsements from local Knights of Columbus chapters. As I looked across that beautiful Mohawk River valley I thought, “What is life?” What is pro-life? Is … Read more

I’ve been visting Auriesville Shrine since I was a young boy. My Mom brought me here first. Four of my cousins were Jesuit priests. They were missionaries in South America. I never met them. Their father was the obstetrician who helped to bring me into the world. My Mom came from a decidedly more Jesuit … Read more

I’m attracted to mystics no matter what their tradition. Handsome Lake was an Iroquois prophet who lived in late 18th and early 19th century. In 1799, Handsome Lake had the first in a series of visions while lying in his bed deathly ill. A messenger from the Creator appeared to him, giving him instructions for … Read more

I’ve been away from all of this writing for a couple of weeks or at least it seems that way. I’ve been in another dark night it would seem. My life is full of darkness. Maybe that is the way it supposed to be. I’m less sure of where I’m going than I was two … Read more

This lovely poem comes from this month’s Peace and Justice Newsletter of the Secular Franciscan Order. Prayer for Peace (2003) O one God of all peoples and nations, You created the earth and the cosmos, in their beauty and also in their frailty. All cultures and religions are on their way toyou, the origin of … Read more

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned before that I am a pilot and here is one of my favorite poems about flying. It was written by an American, John Gillespie Magee, who fought in died in the famous Battle of Britain during World War II. Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earthAnd danced … Read more

John Bunyan once said, “it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” So in the past couple of weeks I have been without words and feeling a bit exasperated about all that I have been witnessing on the world stage. Yesterday’s reading from Jeremiah 7:1-11 has awakened the Holy … Read more

It was really great to reunite with the members of my high school class last night. Now that we are all 50+ we have mellowed a bit and it was an enjoyable evening. There were about 35 couples and some singles there last night. In the last 35 years we’ve lost ten of our classmates … Read more