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It is better to light one candle…
While walking around the magnificent Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, I captured a photo of one solitary man praying before thousands of candles. It spoke something profound to me. I asked my wife to give me a caption for this photo. She said, “You are not alone.” I imagined his prayer being represented by a solitary light. But joined with countless others. I was on side of the basilica called the Quemador de Veladoras (simply translated “Burner of Candles”). It was a wide pedestrian road. On the other side of the road were many pilgrims, young and old, sitting in the shade on the curb eating…
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What’s better than official prison release papers?
Let me tell you a story about the power of accompaniment. Erwin was released from a prison in Florida in December. He’s 70 years old. He is now homeless in Hickory, NC. He sleeps on the streets when the Salvation Army shelter lacks space. When a person is in prison Social Security payments cease. His first step out of homelessness is to reinstate his Social Security. He went to the Social Security office, and they said they couldn’t do anything until they saw official release papers. He didn’t have them. It’s understandably hard for a homeless person to keep up with a lot of papers. He called the prison and asked…
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A beautiful echo from the prayers of the past
Last week, I was on a pilgrimage to the shrines of Mexico. As I prayed in each church, basilica, and cathedral, I discovered a new dimension of my faith. Several of these 500-year-old buildings were built with sweeping Romanesque columns that pull the eyes toward heaven. I was inspired by the genius of the architects and the faith of the people who built these magnificent places of worship. As I sat in each church, my senses came alive. I smelled a faint aroma of centuries of incense and beeswax candles. I saw remnants of the smoke giving the walls and ceilings an ancient hue. I loved the feel of the…
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The most important part of a Lenten pilgrimage
Two questions: What are your prayer intentions for Lent? How is God answering these intentions? I ask this because I just finished a pilgrimage to the shrines of Mexico. The leader, Fr. Marcel Amadi, said before we started that each pilgrim should have some specific intentions. I chose three. Each day during the pilgrimage, we had at least two opportunities to pray for these intentions: one was during Mass, and the other was during the Novena we recited to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Lent is like a pilgrimage.
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How to Avoid Spiritual Gluttony During Lent
As a spiritual director, I’ve asked a few people what they are doing for Lent. I was impressed by the variety of responses: a new biblical or spiritual reading plan, extra hours in Adoration, regular Stations of the Cross meditations, subscribing to a daily app or podcast, or volunteering at a local charity… Some were planning to do more than one. These are all good activities, but I was a little overwhelmed. My follow-up question: How will these bring you closer to God? A puzzled look usually follows. The assumption is that if a person is doing a lot of holy activities, then being in the presence of God will certainly follow. But…
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A Happy Goodbye to a Faithful Friend
In 1995, the diocese gave me a gift: a one-volume Book of Christian Prayer. I was accepted into Aspirancy, a year to discern my call to the diaconate. The formation director said, “Deacons are required to say Morning and Evening Prayer. But I want you to start now.” He gave all the aspirants the same shiny new book. I look at that book now. It’s unusable. The spine has collapsed, some of the ribbons have been replaced by sticky notes, the pages sometimes need a little coaxing to stay open, and the leather cover is about gone. I was hoping the book would make it until the Church released the new translation…
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Two ways to grow in the spirit of gratitude
In the letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul gives a very specific instruction: “Be filled with the Spirit… giving thanks always and for everything.” (5:19-20) Here are two simple ways to put this into practice, and change your life and life of those around you. One is to start a gratitude journal. Just recently, four of my spiritual directees had mentioned the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal. Each day they write down five or so specific things for which they are grateful. They each said it was having a profound impact on their spiritual life. One even invited his spouse to join him in the activity before their evening meal. It’s…
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How to Interpret the Upside Down Beatitudes
Jesus is turning what we value upside down. Blessed are the poor?!? Woe to the rich?!? Blessed are those who cry?!? Woe to those who laugh?!? Is he serious? I think we need to let the shock of what he’s saying sink in, and then figure out what we should do about it.
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When the Spirit Heals with the Gift of Tears
I didn’t expect to start crying, but I did. I was leading a healing retreat. I made the mistake of going off-script. The Holy Spirit took over. What I experienced then is often called the Gift of Tears. It is a gift from the Holy Spirit where a person is overwhelmed with God’s love. In my retreat talk, the Holy Spirit prompted me to describe a time when I was at the bedside of my dying father-in-law. The last few days of his life he was mostly incoherent. But in his final lucid moment, he turned to me and said, “You’re a good man, Scott.” Soon after he died. These…
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To follow with love and longing
“Did I tell you I saw my son?” a mother asked me in a spiritual direction session. About a year ago, her adult son cut off all contact. Since then, her texts, emails, and phone calls have gone unanswered. She suspects he’s blocked her. She doesn’t understand how he could abandon her. She’s heartbroken. I share this story (with her permission) for two reasons. First, some say the heartbreak of parental estrangement has become an epidemic (see Unpacking the Epidemic of Parental Estrangement | Psychology Today). Second, an image emerged that provided hope, not just for her, but for all. “You saw your son. What happened?” She said she was…
