Don June 1972 I took the oath of enlistment when I volunteered for service in the United States Naval Reserve. The words if you’re unfamiliar are, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;…” My enlistment ended in 1978 when … Read more
Earlier today I saw a post that rang true. In 2008 we elected a black man to be president of the United States. The specter of a black man as the leader of the free world was so terrible to those who are intent on white supremacy that they spent eight years attempting to discredit … Read more
God among His other functions must be a tireless activity working towards an end. Everything He calls into being works toward that end, I myself with the rest. I am not a purposeless bit of jetsam flung out on the ocean of time to be tossed about helplessly. God couldn’t so will an existence. It … Read more
“I saw that God never began to love us. … We have always been in God’s foreknowledge, known and loved from without beginning. … We were made for love.—Julian of Norwich TO SAY WE HAVE BEEN “loved from without beginning” is to speak of original blessing rather than original sin. Julian breaks with Augustine and … Read more
Yesterday marked the two year anniversary of the birth of our third grandchild. Theo Joseph was the light in an otherwise dark year that marked by the sudden death of his grandfather Joseph Driessler due to cancer. But then Theo died in his mother’s womb and the family was devastated. Seeing those you love ravaged … Read more
This is one of my favorite wisdom stories. We have the power to change the world we live in by looking for the messiah among us.
Earlier today I came upon a quote from Matthew 25 which sums up the Jesus message. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” ~Matthew 25:35 The Jesus message which is often overlooked is about relationships. Too often the … Read more
This magnificent image from Thomas Mainardi was shared on Fr. James Martin’s Instagram feed. It’s one of the most powerful depictions of the Mary I have ever seen. I carry a rosary with me everyday and pray it frequently. Maybe it’s all the heartache and crisis of this year. Maybe it’s because in the middle … Read more
Today a friend of mine shared a poignant post from John Pavlovitz’ blog which was written last week. It is the Myth of Pro-Life Christianity. The author’s eloquence is spot on. I’ve pondered much of what he said for the past 9 months as I’ve watched Americans die in record numbers while the national leadership … Read more
I woke this morning to a tweet from Christopher White who shared that National Catholic Reporter had named President – elect Joe Biden as Newsmaker of the year. Joe Biden has been an inspiration for me. He was slow and steady in this race. He was unflappable in a day and time when the country … Read more
