To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here What Christmas carol has the distinction of being written in its entirety on Christmas Eve? That would be Silent Night, which sprang from a musical 911 call at St. Nicholas’ Church in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1818. On December 22, assistant priest Josef Mohr learned that the organ made no noise at… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here If carolers come to your front door this December, they will likely sing Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, irrationally demanding that you bring them some figgy pudding (which is pretty hard to come by these days). What they’re less likely to sing is The Wexford Carol, one… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here When my two brothers and I came into the world, we each received a security blanket. My older brother Scott got a blue one. My younger brother Bruce got a green one. My security blanket was yellow. Interestingly, when my brothers and I met with our parents a decade ago to… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Bing Crosby and David Bowie singing a Christmas duet? Crosby, the World War II-era crooner, was skeptical. What he knew of British rock didn’t exactly enchant him. Bowie dragged his heels, especially when he found out they would be singing a song he couldn’t stand. But Bowie’s mother was a huge Crosby… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Father Gregory Boyle directs Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, arguably the world’s most successful ministry to the members of inner-city gangs. He is inundated by opportunities to speak around the country. It’s no surprise that he sometimes falls back on the same compelling stories. A few summers ago, Boyle was asked to… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here What’s the key relational issue in the Bible? That’s easy: It’s forgiveness. Apart from the willingness and the ability to forgive, human relationships simply hit the wall. But how do we forgive monsters – the people who have ravaged our memories, our reputations, our bodies, and our souls? Here is where… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here There were no fall harvest festivals in ancient Israel. That’s because the growing season in the Promised Land, at least from our perspective, seems to be upside-down. Yes, the so-called “latter grapes” were gathered in the middle of autumn. Otherwise, the months of October and November were for ploughing and sowing…. Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here It’s time to take on what some counselors and psychologists call the Other F Word. Fine. As in, “How are you doing?” “I’m fine, thank you.” End of conversation. End of communication. Except, “fine” hardly qualifies as an authentic meeting of minds and hearts. “Fine” can be a one-word stand-in for a remarkable… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here What drives the Literati – the lovers of what is commonly identified as Great Literature – absolutely crazy? It’s the fact that the vast majority of ordinary people would rather enjoy a fairy tale than dig into a “serious story.” The Academy Award for Best Picture is annually granted to a… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Most people have encountered, at one time or another, an inspirational piece called Footprints in the Sand. It describes a man who dreams that he is confronting God because he sees two sets of footprints when he looks back over his life – his prints and God’s prints – and is… Read more »
