Caring for Yourself for Valentine’s Day

We are in the month of Valentine’s Day, when we focus on love. What might seem like a detour, I’m writing today not about expressing love for your beloved, but about showing love for yourself. When Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” he presumed that we love ourselves. There are good reasons […]

Inspired, Empowered by the Holy Spirit

Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, was the President of Notre Dame University for 35 years. He was also involved in myriad government, international, and Church projects. One day someone asked him, “So, how’d you do it all?” Fr. Hesburgh replied, “Every morning, I pray, ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ … and away we go.” I love that story. […]

The Holy Spirit, Our Invisible Friend

During these days of Pentecost, I am researching the Holy Spirit.  Last year a parishioner asked me  to write a book on this “forgotten member” of the Trinity. He said he didn’t understand this Third Person who is so nebulous. So in the process of preparing the book, I’m learning a great deal. Remember when […]

Your Life as a Gift to Give as Gift

This week I gave a retreat for a school faculty whose theme for the year was “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (2 Corinthians 12:7).  St. Paul goes on to list gifts given by the Spirit such as uttering wisdom, healing, prophecy, and speaking in tongues. We spent […]

Presenting the Face of Jesus

No doubt you’ve heard of the 80-year-old woman in Spain who recently turned a valuable fresco of Jesus into an unrecognizable blur. The thought occurred to me that this is a metaphor for what we sometimes do. We attempt to be Jesus for the world–other Christs. Our intentions are good. But then we make a […]