Do You Want To Be Healed?
This is the third article in the series “Spiritual Challenges.” In the first article, “Lessons From a Bowl of Jello,” I presented my opinion that one cause of the turmoil after Vatican II is that we had not let ourselves...
Tagged: healing
Loss, grief, and faith for survivors of suicide
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find more resources from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention here. He died of an incurable disease. That’s how I normally respond to...
Nurturing Seeds of Wisdom During Times of Trouble
Have you ever felt so let down by God that you considered abstaining from the Eucharist as a form of protest, as a way of telling Him, “Fix this!” “Change them!” “Do something!”? I never thought I would get to...
“Just because we have eyes does not mean we see!”
A reflection on the readings for March 19, 2023, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Click here for the audio version. “Just because we have eyes does not mean we see.” On this the fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear a...
A Synodal Church Is The Solution To The Sexual Abuse Crisis
[Yesterday, during the meeting of the US Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, clerical abuse survivor Mark Joseph Williams and Cardinal Joseph Tobin spoke to the assembly about the journey of accompaniment and healing from the trauma and horror of the sexual...
A wounded healer speaks about the sexual abuse crisis
Editors’ note: This episode speaks on sexual abuse, trauma, and healing, and contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. In this new episode of Field Hospital, Jeannie Gaffigan and I had the privilege of speaking to Mark Joseph...
Claiming Your Faith In A Broken Church
On Tuesday of next week, February 22, 2022, I will be taking part in an online event sponsored by the Cenacle Sisters and moderated by Mark Piper, their director for Ministry and Mission Advancement. I will be joined on the...
The indissolubility of marriage and the reality of divorce
A reflection on the readings for Sunday, October 3, 2021 — The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time There are two important aspects of Church teaching that relate to today’s readings. The first is the beauty and indissolubility of marriage, and the second...
Responding to our woundedness and the bruises of daily life
I recently sang at the funeral of a much beloved parishioner who led a full, rich, purpose-driven life. “Celebration” and “Resurrection” were true and meaningful words to the 300 or 400 people who filled the church at noon the funeral...
Write Less, Read More; Talk Less, Listen More
In August of last year, I wrote a reflection on chronic illness, chronic pain, and the way world leaders, including Pope Francis and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, deal with these afflictions. Since I wrote this reflection, the subject...
Willing the Good: A survivor’s call for restorative justice
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault and violence that may be triggering to survivors. The last three popes have called for the abolition of the death penalty. In 2018, Pope Francis revised the official teaching of the...
The Healing of the Leper: A New Paradigm for Mission
A reflection on the Sunday readings for February 14, 2021 — the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Since the beginning of this year, I have had to self-quarantine twice for seven days. And then, in order to leave the quarantine, I...
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