THURSDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME "I never knew you." Climbing up and up and up, Snow King Mountain this morning. I could not stop thinking about those words. "I never knew you." How can that be Lord? I love you. Then my mind wandered as it always does during my talks with God. I thought about my kids at St. Theodore, my kids at St. George, my kids at OLQH, literally running through long lists of their names and faces in my mind. I was thinking about how each one

THURSDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER In today's Gospel reading, Jesus says some things that confuse His disciples. "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me." (John 16:16) Jesus knows the disciples are confused, so he gives them a little more to work with, " 'A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices

TUESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER I felt a little familiarity while reading today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Paul and Silas are in jail when an earthquake strikes and frees them from their chains. Instead of walking out, they stay and speak the word of the Lord to the prisoners and the jailer. The jailer's family is baptized that night. And of course, Paul and Silas are invited into their home. My husband, Cris, refers to this whole situation as if feeli

MONDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER Many of the Sacred Scriptures require us to study, thus revealing their true meaning. Today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles reads more like a postcard from an old friend. St. Luke speaks to us directly, telling of the disciples' journey from town to town. Along the river, they meet Lydia, a worshiper of God. The passage tells us that the Lord opens her heart so that she listens to the words Paul speaks to her. Lydia and her h

FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER If you read yesterday's and today's Gospel, you might be feeling a bit of deja vu. Today's Gospel is shortened a bit from yesterday's to highlight another critical aspect of this reading: the Lord chooses us to be His friends. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit tha

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER On our neighborhood walks, Cris and I walk through a group of homes we refer to as "cube row." Lovingly, nicknamed for the square-shaped dwellings that look like cubes. Just as the snow was beginning to melt and the first buds of the season appeared, we noticed that someone pruned back the pussy willow trees lining the pathway. All the buds, gone. All signs of new life, cut away. In today's Gospel, the Lord tells us that the Father will

TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. I see it. I see the worry, the uncertainty, the anxiety. We are all on different paths with this virus—some fear for their health, some fear for their financial ruin. Some states are still under stay-at-home orders, while other states and counties act like the vi

MONDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER Cris and I frequently check the real estate listings for the perfect retirement home. I'm looking for the right mix of cozy and light—a place that is warm and welcoming and, at the same time, bright and clean. I like best the listings where the house is empty and ready for a fresh start. "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him." (JN 14:23) Most often, the people