‘To your descendants I give this land,from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River,the river Euphrates.’ This line is taken from Genesis and is part of today’s first reading at Mass. I was struck by the poignancy of the line given the fact that our country and it’s soldiers are embroiled in a conflict … Read more
I love visiting bookstores. I spent my childhood living next to a public library and reading is still a pastime that is both educational and enjoyable for me. Last week while visiting the Tempe, Arizona area I was able to spend some time at the Changing Hands Bookstore on McClintock Avenue there. Changing Hands is … Read more
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
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
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
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
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
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
We’ve just returned from a couple of days on the road in southern Arizona. Yesterday we left my sister’s home in Tempe and drove south on I-10 headed eventually for Tubac Golf Resort. On the Interstate 19 just south of Tucson we stopped at the Franciscan Mission, San Xavier del Bac. I had never visited … Read more
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
