Underneath
Beneath the feet of the monks, that which holds them and their houses of prayer, is this land. Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist monastery on the coast of South Carolina, is where we’re on retreat. The land of my childhood. Beneath the years of their prayerful songs, as old as my dad, there is that which will outlast […]
The Guest House – Nov. 2, 2022
This being human is a guest house.Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness,some momentary awareness comesas an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all!Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,who violently sweep your houseempty of its furniture,still, treat each guest honorably.He may be clearing you outfor some new delight. The […]
Embracing Sorrow – Sept. 26, 2022
“Yes, there are ruins in everyone’s life, and no one is immune from feelings of having to settle for some kind of second class. But finally it is a kind of comfort and relief to know that we are ordinary people in the human family–uncommon common people especially loved by God. After a time of […]
The Burning
I’ve come to start a fire… —Luke 12:49-56, The Message In the days when a hearth fire kept the family alive, our ancestors learned to bank the fire before they went to sleep, pushing the logs and coals together to preserve the slow burning. It was important to keep it smoldering through the night, ready to […]
