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How to ignore the goats in your mind
I live on Goat Road. Not surprisingly, several of my neighbors have goats. On the road leading to my house, a small herd keeps the hillside from becoming overgrown as it slopes toward…
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When Those We Love Are No Longer Here
Four weeks. Four funerals. Only now is the weight of that number beginning to settle in. These were not simply parishioners whose names appeared in the bulletin. They were people woven into the…
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A new way to look at working in the vineyard
There is something in this parable that doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not the unfairness of the master’s pay scale. Jesus seems to anticipate our objection: “Are you envious because I am…
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When hate crowds out love
Forgiveness has been the recurring theme of my week. It surfaced in the Mass readings, in the 9/11 memorials, and even in a long-avoided conversation with someone I had quietly struggled to forgive…
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Finding God in the Messy Middle
I love it when God shows up in a surprising way. This past weekend I led a retreat called Finding God in a New Season. For three days we reflected on the changing…
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Wading into the deep waters of the interior life
Last Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking to the deacon aspirants and their wives for the Diocese of Charlotte. The topic was right in my wheelhouse: the interior life, spiritual direction, and…
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Is there room for fun in the spiritual life?
I’m spending a week away on vacation with my family – three adult children, their spouses and partners, and two grandchildren. I can’t help but focus my attention on these two boys, ages…
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The best mantra for discerning the will of God
There is something I find especially difficult about discernment: waiting. I am much more comfortable when I have an idea, make a decision, and get moving. My usual pattern has been: Get an…
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Hearing God in a New Season
Last week, my wife and I traveled to Maine. Visiting Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, and Portland had been on our bucket list for a long time. So had eating a lobster roll…
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Learning to hear the whispering sound in the noise
Homily for the 19th Sunday After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak. 1 Kings 19:13 Where do you hear the…
