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Why, in the middle of working a crossword or putting mustard on a hotdog, did I suddenly find tears welling up? This had been happening for over a week now, and I finally realized I’d better pay attention. The tears had started in the days after a retreat with...

Some of us take at least one medication every day. Some have habits of coffee every morning, or exercise or quiet time; some have one radio or TV program that is as regular for them as getting a night’s sleep. Whether we take a vitamin, drink a beverage, or engage in...

During our October 2012 monthly meeting of IVC volunteers at the Washington Jesuit Academy, Ginny, our wonderful facilitator, asked us: What is your favorite prayer? We went around the large table in our meeting room quickly and everyone mentioned one or two prayers,...

Over the last couple of months, I have been meeting weekly with a group of four other people over a meal and learning to be a Christian community. This is not a Bible study group.  Nor is it a social club.  And it definitely isn’t a substitute for a church.  But...

We can give a card or note to someone, and we might present a gift of some kind, but if we pause to consider the meaning of “giving thanks,” we might recognize that the experience is almost always spiritual. Perhaps only through reflection do we see that there is much...

Countless by now are the biographies, long or short, printed or electronic, of Saint Ignatius Loyola. Each author seems to have his or her “take” on Ignatius. Nothing at all unusual about that. As a Jesuit whose life is currently being assisted, I’ve read more of them...

I have never sailed a boat, even a small one, on my own. I have been sailing with others just enough to appreciate how it is possible to travel in almost any direction, no matter which way the wind blows. But even the experts at sailing are unable to go anywhere if...

With both college and professional football season in full swing, I am once again struck by how often football players thank God for helping them win a game. I’m just going to say it: I don’t think God gives a damn about the outcome of a football game.  As Albert...

My English language students at Cabrini Immigrant Services are all mature adults, several of them older than I am. The oldest, R., is in his mid-eighties. He has a good command of English (the class is high intermediate level), but because of a slight speech...