Reflection Kindness goes beyond merely being nice. Being kind is intentional and voluntary. It involves being selfless, caring and compassionate. We share love with others through a supportive smile, a nice word, a comforting embrace, or a helping hand. We make people feel good; we pass along hope; we promote peace. Kindness is all the different ways we express care,
Reflection They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away. Luke 4:21-30 Jesus’ words turned the people against him. They took offence at him. One of their own was lecturing to them. They all knew
Reflection The Christian life is about living in relationship. Believing that God is the Holy Mystery from whom all things have come, we realize our connection with all others. We do not have an emotional love for all our “neighbors”, but we have a deep concern for their well-being, a desire that they be treated with justice and a respect
Reflection Our instilled belief that earth was created for the human species and given to us as masters for its use and abuse has been exploded by both science and theology. We now are reclaiming the understanding that the earth is sacred and we are all part of one creation. Everything that exists is a reflection of the loving creative
Reflection Contemplation is about very basic, very real things. It is about seeing God in everyone, finding God everywhere, and responding to all of life as a message from God. Contemplation is not a road show about visions. It is not an exalted state of being. It is simply consciousness of the Ultimate in the immediate. Contemplatives do not seek
Reflection Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Vietnamese monk who popularized mindfulness in the West and whose vast peace writings introduced countless people to Buddhist ideas and practices, died Jan. 22, 2022, at the age of 95 at the Buddhist temple in Hue, Vietnam, where he entered monastic life at the age of 16. Nhất Hạnh taught that one generates energy when bringing the
Reflection In this troubled and troubling world we are continually forced to choose sides or else risk indifference or complicity by virtue of inaction. But taking sides also perpetuates a society of winners and losers, of “us vs. them.” How can one seek peace and inclusivity and at the same time work for justice when working for justice means choosing
Reflection We cannot look behind us for answers. They do not live there. We must imagine ourselves forward, envision the world we want to create, and feel the new reality in every cell of our beings in order to bring it about – for it is our feelings, our passion and compassion that will propel us toward the future we
Reflection Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. Luke 4:14 -21 The gospel story tells us that Jesus returned to Nazareth and went to the synagogue and read these words from Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad
Reflection In this life I will never get closer to God than I am now. God loves me totally now. God will not love me any more in ten years time no matter what great things I might do. God’s love will not change. What can change is my awareness of God’s presence within me and love for me. The