Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices drone their endless loop: "There are no more shuttles out of the impacted zone. Please remain at home and await further instructions." I choose shadows over searchlights, slipping through medieval corners while patrol units circle city hall. My heart...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for 2,000 years and counting? Join me as we follow a prophet into the mud, learn warning signs from nuclear scientists, and discover why sometimes the person who saves us is the last one we'd expect. Jesus the Troublemaker As I opened the readings for...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Shaking Before the Feast Tomorrow is the Feast of the Assumption, and I'm struggling. Here I am with a blog called "Full-of-Grace," somehow connected to Mary, and yet as this huge feast approaches, I find myself shaking, holding back, feeling overwhelmed. My new Polish parish is named after the Assumption, and tomorrow there will be a huge Mass, blessing of the flowers, then music and barbecue and cakes. It should be joyful, festive. I should...
A reflection on relationships found and lost on pilgrimage, and the beautiful journey to finding true love Walking Toward Truth Instead of Escape Six years ago, on what started as an ordinary June...
Three Mothers at the Heart of Resurrection Today I'm traveling back to Poland on Mother's Day – May 26th in our Polish tradition. As I journey home, I'm reflecting on three mothers who have shaped...
Airport musings after a shortened Camino The Comedy of Errors Picture this: a peaceful pilgrim, fresh from three nights in Santiago de Compostela, checking out of their hostel before 10 AM with the...
A Santiago Pilgrimage Reflection Faith is often less about movement and more about stillness. Today, my second day in Santiago de Compostela, I discovered this truth through four hours spent within...
Santiago de Compostela - Day 15 Today I write from Santiago de Compostela, not having walked the complete path as planned, but arriving nonetheless with a heart full of wonder. The pilgrimage called...
Cardañuela-Riopico to Burgos - 8 kilometers I woke in the albergue to the most restful sleep I've had in two weeks. Perhaps it's the lightness that comes with a difficult decision finally made -...
The Unexpected For days, the question has followed me like a shadow on this Camino journey: Should I continue to Santiago or listen to my body's increasing protests? The recurring infection, the...
Searching Gentleness Last night, as darkness settled over Grañón, we gathered in the choir of San Juan Bautista church. Through a secret passage from the albergue, we entered the silent sanctuary,...
Morning Challenges Morning broke in Najera with the weight of yesterday's mistakes still lingering. The sun had not yet fully risen as I set out, my feet speaking their own language. A new blister...
The Joy of Return to the Camino The morning sun rose with promise as my feet carried me forward along the Camino. After three nights of forced rest in Logroño, battling illness and fever, my body...
Fever Recovery in Logroño and Finding the Pilgrim Spirit Once More The drenched pillows speak of fever's night visit – my body, a furnace that consumes itself. Sweat-soaked blankets twisted into...
Unexpected Pause on the Camino Frances Today, I am writing from the same place as yesterday—a hotel room in Logroño. This was not the original plan. Yesterday, I barely managed to walk those few...
A personal reflection from the pilgrim's path Today, I lie in a hotel bed with fever, my walking pilgrimage temporarily paused. Yet somehow, in this enforced stillness, I feel closer than ever to...
Los Arcos to Logroño - A day of listening to my body's wisdom Today marked my seventh day on the Camino de Santiago, a day unlike any other on this pilgrimage. Not for its beauty or challenge, but...
Discovering Our True Journey In walking the Camino de Santiago, I've been reflecting on what it truly means to be a pilgrim. Along the ancient stones of The Way, where countless feet have worn...
A Morning of Mindful Beginnings I woke naturally at 5:15, before my alarm, but embraced a new approach today: not rushing. I remembered Lizzie, a colleague with whom I worked in a nursing home in...
Early Morning Struggles and the Pilgrim's Call to Transcendence I woke before my alarm today, at quarter past five, my body somehow knowing the journey ahead demanded these early stolen moments....
From Dawn's First Light to Detours: Pamplona to Zariquiegui The fourth day of my Camino journey led me from Pamplona to Puente la Reina, a day marked by detours, reflections, and an unexpected...
Restless Beginnings There's something deeply humbling about walking a path that millions have trodden before. As I make my way through the third day of my Camino journey, I'm reminded that some...
The darkness surprised me as I set out at 6:10 this morning, a stark contrast to my June Camino of 2019 when the early hours were already bathed in light. Thankful for the small lamp affixed to my...
First Day on the Camino Frances: Crossing the Pyrenees The Scent of the Camino: Memories Reawakened What struck me in the morning was that familiar scent—the fragrance of aloe vera mingling with...
The Pilgrim Returns: Beginning the Camino Francés Again The Camino begins again, though in truth, it never really ended. Today I stand in Saint Jean Pied de Port, the traditional starting point of...
Walking Unbound They say the Camino begins the moment you close your door behind you, not when you reach Saint-Jean-Pied-du-Port. So my pilgrimage started with a flight from Olsztyn Mazury Airport...
The important and the broken Some of us approach God with demands written in the lines of our faces, authority clutched like a scepter in our hands. Others creep toward heaven on their bellies,...
Evening's Sacred Dissolving I face my mirror in the evening's sacred hush, where familiar contours of self begin to blur at the edges. Here, in this liminal light, I feel clothed with a veil caught...
The setting sun bleeds into the sea, painting waves in copper and crimson. Asher's fingernails dig into his palms as he watches white tombs emerge from gathering darkness – pure, untouchable,...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C There are crossroads in this world that even biblical fathers never dared to leave behind, purposedly settling down between grief and abundance. We also may get stuck halfway to heaven, camping at intersections of performance and grace, oscillating between trying too hard and not trying at all. And yet this Sunday maps out the invisible path from a simple tent to the Promised Land, from a...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, Abraham left the crossroads of his father's journey and completed the path to God's promise. With the faith of those who know they are chosen and beloved, let us...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us. For...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C Celebrant: Like Abraham, we approach our loving God with bold confidence, bringing the needs of our world to the One who delights in our every prayer. Reader:...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover night when God delivered Israel from Egypt. The Hidden Celebration: "The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage." This isn't just historical...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C There are crossroads in this world that even biblical fathers never dared to leave behind, purposedly settling down between grief and...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, Abraham left the crossroads of his father's journey and completed the path to God's promise. With the faith of those who know they are chosen and beloved, let us...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us. For...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C Celebrant: Like Abraham, we approach our loving God with bold confidence, bringing the needs of our world to the One who delights in our every prayer. Reader:...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, Abraham left the crossroads of his father's journey and completed the path to God's promise. With the faith of those who know they are chosen and beloved, let us bring our prayers before the One who serves us at His own table. For the Church: That all who gather for Eucharist may move beyond spiritual performance anxiety to recognize Jesus' invitation to friendship, discovering that we are called not to serve...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C There are crossroads in this world that even biblical fathers never dared to leave behind, purposedly settling down between grief and...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us. For...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C Celebrant: Like Abraham, we approach our loving God with bold confidence, bringing the needs of our world to the One who delights in our every prayer. Reader:...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad" brother, was trying his hardest to follow them? And what if solving this ancient murder mystery is the key to understanding why we may feel gut-punched this Sunday when the first reading suddenly declares, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!"? The Sunday...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C There are crossroads in this world that even biblical fathers never dared to leave behind, purposedly settling down between grief and...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, Abraham left the crossroads of his father's journey and completed the path to God's promise. With the faith of those who know they are chosen and beloved, let us...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us. For...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C Celebrant: Like Abraham, we approach our loving God with bold confidence, bringing the needs of our world to the One who delights in our every prayer. Reader:...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us. For the Church: That all who call upon the name of the Lord may discover their true identity hidden in Christ, moving beyond the spiritual striving and spiritual bypassing to find the baptismal consciousness that simply rests in God's presence. Reader:...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C There are crossroads in this world that even biblical fathers never dared to leave behind, purposedly settling down between grief and...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, Abraham left the crossroads of his father's journey and completed the path to God's promise. With the faith of those who know they are chosen and beloved, let us...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C Celebrant: Like Abraham, we approach our loving God with bold confidence, bringing the needs of our world to the One who delights in our every prayer. Reader:...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual whiplash. We leap from Jesus teaching us intimate prayer to Ecclesiastes declaring "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" From intimate prayer to existential crisis? What's going on here? First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 The Preacher's Shocking...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C There are crossroads in this world that even biblical fathers never dared to leave behind, purposedly settling down between grief and...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, Abraham left the crossroads of his father's journey and completed the path to God's promise. With the faith of those who know they are chosen and beloved, let us...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us. For...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C Celebrant: Like Abraham, we approach our loving God with bold confidence, bringing the needs of our world to the One who delights in our every prayer. Reader:...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have no memory of that sacred moment when water poured over my tiny head, when I was claimed as God's beloved child, when I was wrapped in white cloth and given a candle to symbolize the Light of the World now dwelling within me. We tend to say "I was...
Reflection for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Running in the Dark The city empties under evacuation orders. Every screen flickers blue against abandoned streets while mechanical voices...
Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if the most dangerous thing in the world isn't nuclear waste that stays lethal for 100,000 years, but a Gospel that stays troublesome for...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C There are crossroads in this world that even biblical fathers never dared to leave behind, purposedly settling down between grief and...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, Abraham left the crossroads of his father's journey and completed the path to God's promise. With the faith of those who know they are chosen and beloved, let us...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Celebrant: Brothers and sisters, we have learned that our life is hidden with Christ in God. With confidence in our Abba Father, let us bring our prayers before the One whose breath sustains us. For...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C Celebrant: Like Abraham, we approach our loving God with bold confidence, bringing the needs of our world to the One who delights in our every prayer. Reader:...
