Tonight I sit in Holy Peace Chapel with others seeking solitude and community. This is my first opportunity for an evening of peaceful re-creation here at Mt. Irenaeus this summer. I came tonight with a heart full of questions longing for answers. Earlier today I gathered on the campus of St. Bonaventure University to reflect … Read more
It is not hard to live through a day, if you can live through a moment. What creates despair is the imagination, which pretends there is a future, and insists on predicting millions of moments, thousands of days, and so drains you that you cannot live the moment at hand. –Andre Dubus, “A Father’s Story,” … Read more
The King shall rejoice. The words of the psalms written thousands of years ago by King David and others are frequently with me. I sit beside the still waters of Nannen pond. My soul is restored. I walk through the valley of the shadow of death each day. It’s a metaphor for life. Under his … Read more
I have written often of Psalm 63. It is one of my favorites in the Bible. It is one written by King David when he was in the wilderness being pursued by Saul. Personal wildernesses come from time to time for all of us and when mine do I return to this psalm. I read … Read more
Once again I’m sitting beside a pool of still water. Only the occasional croak of a frog breaks the silence. It’s almost dusk. It’s restful here and a great way to end a busy day that saw local temperatures in the low ’90’s. What a contrast from the cold snow of winter and the abundant … Read more
The following quote comes from a Quaker house of worship and it is prominently displayed in the library under the chapel at Mt. Irenaeus. I first saw it on a Sunday in the spring of 2000 and it still is powerful for me. That Sunday I was wondering what God may be and I’m still … Read more
“Imagine a world where the representatives of the greatest military power on earth are humbled by an unarmed healer from the backwaters of Galilee. If you can imagine this kind of world, you possess … an imagination ready to discern the reign of heaven.” – Stanley Saunders
Tonight after arriving home and exiting my car I looked up. The night sky was clear and glistened with stars, a quarter moon and at least one aircraft moving slowly with blinky lights from south to north. Tonight is one of those nights that invites us to be still and look not just at the … Read more
It’s storming now and kind of frightening with all the news from the mid-west of tornadoes. I am scared too but welcome the peaceful sound of the rain, wind and lightning too as it is all produced by the creator of heaven and earth. Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore. – Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! … Read more
This video clip is one that I love and one that animates my life. From as far back as I can remember this part of scripture has had great meaning in my life. It comes from Matthew 25: 34-40 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by … Read more
