Columns
The Joy of Simplifying
A few years ago, Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant, established a career by encouraging people to declutter. “What gives me joy?” she told us to ask ourselves. If it […]
Columns
Thin Places in November
Walking around my neighborhood this fall, I saw many skeletons. Bones seemed to protrude from every lawn. One evening, taking a walk in the encroaching darkness, a skeleton I hadn’t […]
Columns
Silence in a Noisy World
We live in a noisy world. I’m not just talking about rush hour traffic or the planes that make an approach to the Philadelphia airport far above my head at […]
Perspective
God’s Dazzling Creation
Glancing out my window on a dusky evening, I’m startled to see a huge bird perching on my neighbor’s garage, just a few yards away. What at first appears to […]
Perspective
Look for the Helpers – and Be One Yourself
(OSV News) – A favorite quote of mine comes from Fred Rogers, the children’s television personality. He shared how his mom would comfort him when he was a frightened child. […]
Perspective
Rain and Tears: The Lessons Learned in Lent
(OSV News) – The morning sky is gray and my favorite window for prayer is rain-streaked. Rain is welcome. We’ve experienced drought, and there are wildfires nearby. And yet, there’s […]
Perspective
A Random Guy Walks into a Bar
(OSV NEWS) – So, a random guy walks into a bar. No, this isn’t the beginning of a joke. For me, it’s a Lenten meditation. A friend of mine tends […]
Perspective
On the Journey Toward Sainthood
He was an energetic farm boy from rural Wisconsin, walking daily to a one-room country schoolhouse where a single teacher taught all eight grades. Later, when James Miller taught high […]
Perspective
Finding Gratitude in What is Given
One morning, I was half-listening to National Public Radio as I quickly prepared for an appointment. Into the shower, grab the coffee, find the toothbrush, and in the midst of […]
Perspective
Elmo and the Challenge of Lent
For two or three days in January, a furry red Muppet’s concern for the well-being of his followers became news, dominating Twitter, now “X,” and sparking discussions from National Public […]
Perspective
Care for creation: A moral issue and a Catholic issue
You need look no further than the rising sea waters threatening Miami or the erosion of coastal Alaska, where entire villages must be relocated in a state that’s becoming a […]
Local
Waiting in the midst of a culture that does not like to wait
By Effie Caldarola If you’re old enough to remember Mr. Rogers, whose “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” children’s program ran on public television for years, you may remember his song, “Let’s think […]