faith

  • Deep

    Deep

    I’ve spent a lot of time these last few years in the deep water, spiritually speaking. This is a place where any illusion of control melts away and a person finds herself riding waves, bobbing, desperately scanning for boats, floating, treading water, and sometimes sinking. I’m not a strong swimmer, either in actual water or…

  • Over

    Over

    Structures are falling down all around us. In our country, church, and world, we’re finding our shared values are shared no longer. Institutions are collapsing under the weight of abuse and scandal. The world feels as though it’s spinning off its axis. During troubled times, we tend to look to those things that are immovable,…

  • Under

    Under

    When I was a kid, we had a pool in our backyard. My memory is that it took quite a while for me on those summer days to get in and swim. I’d sit on the deck and put my feet in while my sisters swam and my Dad’s transistor radio played. On particularly hot…

  • Water

    Water

    It was way too hot to run, so I set out on a long walk. Several podcasts loaded in my phone, I looked forward to the time in my own head. And I’m not sure when I’ll learn the truth of it, but as today showed me, we never walk alone. I rounded the two-mile…

  • Namaste

    Namaste

    I was putting my strawberries and avocados on the checkout counter at the farm stand when I saw him. A baby boy just old enough to sit in the front of the cart with a tiny Red Sox cap on his little head. He was looking at me before I saw him, and I got…

  • Anchor

    Anchor

    It took almost more energy than I had to pick up my rosary beads. My relationship with intercessory prayer has been complicated lately, and I’m not really sure what I believe about it, but on the eve of a friend’s surgery, I moved through the beads and dedicated the time to my friend, his family,…

  • Cave

    Cave

    Along with the rest of the world, I’m following the story of a soccer team and their coach who are trapped in a cave in Thailand.   Discovered after nine days lost, the first stage of the rescue involved bringing in oxygen, food, and water to help restore strength to the victims. They’ve also taught the…

  • America

    America

    Our church community has a long-standing tradition of singing patriotic songs on or around Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and the Fourth of July, so we weren’t surprised when a parishioner asked me and my music-minister husband just which such song we would be singing this past Sunday, but we were conflicted. For a while now,…

  • John

    John

    Today at mass, we heard the story of the birth of John the Baptist, and it’s a story we’ve heard many times before. John’s parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, are told they will be parents in their old age, and while Elizabeth believes, Zechariah laughs. Immediately, Zechariah loses his voice, and he remains without speech for…

  • Lucy

    Lucy

    I used to be like Lucy, from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I used to tell everyone about the magical land that I had visited, where the impossible was possible, and how everything was tinged with wonder. And when my story was done, I’d invite them to come with me next time. Actually,…