Today is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation        

Getting older allows you to experience things that you thought were true all along within your intellect, but never could quite articulate or put into words. This certainly has been true in my case as I find peace within paradox. Paradox: something (such as a situation) that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible -Merriam Webster I have always felt there was great truth in paradox, but until you live it, truth can only find a home within the narrow confines of your mind, never being tested to the rigors of your everyday life. There have been plenty of examples…

Pride can reveal its ugly head in many ways. We sometimes associate it with “high self-esteem.” Yet it seems to me the precursor to pride resides in our anxiety, fear, and insecurity. Therefore, those with “low self-esteem” seem to be suffering from the same ill. Pride attaches itself to accomplishments both emotionally and tangibly. Consequently, trying to keep up with “being nice,” “being better,” “having more,” or “knowing more” can be exhausting. For these desires seem to be symptoms of a fear of not “being” enough and an insecurity deep within. The result of this “ill from within” comes to the surface in our desire to compete. For many of…

(We had a great time home visiting family and friends while also getting a chance to spend time at the New Jersey Shore. Here is a picture of the moon coming up over the ocean in Ocean City, NJ.) “It may be objected: ‘Our Lord is enough for me. I have no need of her.’ But He needed her, whether we do or not. God, Who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the…

A scene from our trip down Mt. Pilatus, Switzerland on the steepest cogwheel train in the world. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, the word “creation” has a broader meaning than “nature”, for it has to do with God’s loving plan in which every creature has its own value and significance. Nature is usually seen as a system which can be studied, understood and controlled, whereas creation can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all, and as a reality illuminated by the love which calls us together into universal communion. -Pope Francis, Laudato SI’ 76

Andrew, my four year old, loves to come right up to my face and stare into my eyes. It always makes me pause when his little body, his little head, his little face climbs onto my lap to get as close as he can. And yet, it is his brown eyes probing deep into mine that sparks a reaction from the depths of my being. What is it about a son’s desire to look into their father’s eyes? What are they seeking? What are they desiring? And maybe more importantly, what is the father’s response? Being a father has brought to the surface a lot of feelings and emotions. Feelings…

We had a great time staying the night on top of Mt. Pilatus. (2132 meters (about 7000 ft.) above sea level.)

(Last week during an early morning run I was struck by the light that penetrated the darkness on one of my favorite trails near our house in Worb, Switzerland.  As much as I try to hide from the light, the light always penetrates my shadows and invites me into a life that is free.) Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour; and bears a likeness of you, Most High. –Canticle of the Creatures, St. Francis of Assisi (Laudato Si, 87)

To approach the day as if the world was depending on me to save it. To climb a tree with the intensity of someone who was on a mission. To ride my bike with a sense of great purpose and determination. And to run from here to there as if I was in pursuit of the evilest villain alive. Every day was a great adventure to be had. Every day was an opportunity to live out the saga and storyline that I would create in my head. Every day was about being a seven year old boy who was created for something larger than himself. This was my summer at…