Memory is a powerful phenomenon.  It can solicit strong emotions both joyful and painful.  When something is in the past, it becomes “fixed.”  Sometimes we “identify” with a memory to such a great extent that it takes on a life of its own so that it overruns us, resulting in the inability to truly live in the present at all. …

When you think of people whom you consider to have “wisdom,” what are the names that come to mind for you?  I think of people like the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day, Dr.…

Hurricanes are ravaging the Western hemisphere of our world.  People are fleeing for safety, enduring battering winds, rain and storm surges, as well as devastating losses.  Some are beginning the slow process of recovering from flooding storms already past.  People are helping people – each other. …

It seems that the scripture readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time have clear ties to what is happening in our country and in our world today.  We have mention of “foreigners” in the Prophet Isaiah’s reading (Is 56:1, 6-7), “race” in Paul’s letter to the Romans (Rom 11:13-15, 29-32), and mention of “lost sheep, dogs, and demons” in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 15:21-28). …

A perennial question for humanity comes in the form of “why do we have to suffer or struggle?”  Why do unpleasant or “bad” things happen to us – all of us?  This is not only a question that has been passed down since the beginning of time, but also perhaps one that defies any satisfactory answer. …