Category Archives: “Speak to Me Lord”

If no spoken or written words of St. Teresa of Kolkata were ever recorded, the holy woman would still be a canonized saint of the church. For her saintly actions spoke louder than any of her words. She embraced the outcast leper; sheltered the homeless, dying man abandoned on the street; loved the orphaned, hungry, destitute child; and infused hope in marginalized, despairing hearts.

      Even as she was recognized with many high honors, such as the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and other prestigious awards of international acclaim, she remained close to the poorest of the poor in a life of selfless, loving service. Her love of and closeness to the poor, in imitation of Jesus, was her path to greatness. Continue reading →

My 20-something granddaughter went into a convent last week. Mary Kathleen quit her job, gave away her sizable collection of clothes, handed her cellphone to her mother (families have hand-me-ups as well as hand-me-downs) and began a year of discernment. Continue reading →

“I have over 100 friends on Facebook!” and “I’ve got close to 1,000 followers on Twitter!” We’ve heard such claims from family and friends as they speak about their network of relationships through social media.

      Today we have become accustomed to beginning and ending relationships with the speed of a mouse click, as we “like,” “friend” or “tweet” people in the digital world. In this way, we make and break relationships easily as we move instantly from one social network to the next. Continue reading →

There it is, right in the middle of today’s Gospel — the statement we might consider God’s particular word to the church in our time: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mk 9:42). Continue reading →

Every saint faces times of trial and persecution, from within or from outside the church. Countless saints ended their lives with a crown of martyrdom, often at the hands of cruel, vicious persecutors.

      And some saints who founded religious orders were eventually rejected by their own communities, enduring envy, false accusations and isolation among the very people they gathered together and served. Continue reading →

About a week after my wife Mary died of breast cancer, I took her wedding dress out of the closet where she had kept it and laid it on the bed and looked at it. Rage welled up in me. I stormed at God. “How could you ever have let this happen? How could you do this to me?” Continue reading →

The deaf man in today’s Gospel must have known fear. For his speech impediment ensured that he was alone and helpless.

      He would have known the pain of isolation on the level of his physical senses of hearing and speaking, and on the social level of not being able to participate fully in the life of his family and community. His physical condition would have led him to fear deeply for his own future and the well-being of his family. Continue reading →