Known By What Is Absent
Suffering is not a sign of being punished by God. At the other end of the spectrum, keeping oneself free of all suffering is not a sign of pleasing God. The Galileans who suffered under the cruelty of Pilate, Jesus says, are no worse sinners than the rest of us. Suffering happens. Rain falls on […]
Developing Discernment – Mar. 10, 2022
“Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” Jesus sends us out to be shepherds, and Jesus promises a life in which we increasingly have to stretch out our hands and be led to places where we would rather not go. He asks us to move from a concern for relevance to a life of prayer, from […]
Timeless Wonder
“Is it possible to have a call – a wake-up experience – at a very young age?” The question came in the chat box on a Zoom retreat that I was leading. “Yes,” I said, “I think children do have these experiences, but usually don’t have language for them.” And I went on with my […]
Hearing the Truth
It started off so well.* Jesus was back in Nazareth not long after beginning his ministry, and was warmly received in his hometown synagogue: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” And then, in a matter of minutes, everything changed. The adoring crowd became an […]