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Brienz Christmas Market
Switzerland is known for its beautiful Christmas Markets. This is our first Christmas Season in Switzerland, and we are excited to visit many markets around the country. Here are some pictures from our first Christmas Market in Brienz, Switzerland. “The season of Advent is like springtime in nature, when everything is renewed and so is fresh and healthy. Advent is also meant to do this to us — to refresh us and make us healthy, to be able to receive Christ in whatever form he may come to us.” -Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
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The Crumbs of Holiness
A couple of days ago, I had a temper tantrum over the ever-present crumbs that continue to find their home in our house. Some like to live on our kitchen floor; some would rather stay on the countertops, and some like the view of our dining area from underneath the table. As much as I try to escort them out of our house with a ride in the vacuum, their friends seem to take their places immediately. It is a battle that is never-ending. And one that triggers things within me that are not pleasant. Now, I don’t have to look very far to see who the usual culprits are.…
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The Emmental
One of the great things about exploring a new country is that you never know what you will find. I set out today to explore a part of the country called the Emmental. The Emmental is a valley in west-central Switzerland that is made up of hilly countryside and lush forests. After driving through and then up some roads that were a bit scary, I came upon some trails and a beautiful view of the Bernese Alps. I couldn’t help but be in awe of the beauty. “Nature is the art of God.” –Dante Alghieri
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The Volto Santo
A few weeks ago, while on our trip to Italy, we visited Lucca. In the Tuscany region, Lucca is believed to have been founded around 180 BC. It is a beautiful place, and I highly recommend it if you ever visit the Tuscany region. The Cathedral of St. Martin is located within the city’s walled area. Inside the cathedral is the Chapel of the Holy Face, or the Volto Santo, also known as the Holy Cross. The small chapel contains a walnut crucifix showing Christ wearing a tunic. Yet it is the face, the Volto Santo, that grabbed me. Like all old relics, the Volto Santo is surrounded by history,…
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Tuscany, Italy
We are very grateful that friends invited us to join them in Tuscany, Italy, during the boys’ fall break last week. It was a wonderful week of sights and sounds. We decided to drive, so our journey took us up, down, around, and even through the Alps. It was indeed a beautiful ride. After passing the Great St. Bernard Pass, our first stop was Aosta, a town in northern Italy. Nestled in the Italian Alps, Aosta is home to great Roman Empire history. After spending the night in Aosta, we continued our drive through northern Italy and the beautiful Italian Riviera to the Tuscany region. During our stay in Tuscany,…
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The Prayer of Music
One of my favorite activities during my seven years as youth minister at St. Ann Parish in Phoenixville, PA, was “Music Night.” It was a night when, one by one, the kids would let everyone know their favorite song at that particular time in their lives. We would then listen to the music together as a group. The purpose had multiple levels to it. “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” -Plato At first glance, it was a chance to listen to the song’s lyrics acutely and decide whether the…
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Pope Francis, Family, and Joy
The word “family” can evoke many emotions and connotations. For some, family is a great source of anguish and pain. For others, family represents the only safe place in a troubled world where they can find refuge. Yet, for most of us, family is a mixed bag of good and bad times, yet something we would never replace. Then, there is the family in terms of a sacramental image of God. An image that suggests serving one another, dying to ourselves for the well-being of another, and giving and receiving love so that creation can take root, making the family the very “image” of the Trinitarian God who is Love.…
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A Single Tree
One of the things that my wife and I love is the “single trees” that fill the landscapes all over Switzerland. Here are a few in our village of Worb. This has made me wonder, beyond their beauty, what a single tree can teach us about our spirituality and relationship with God. A Single Tree Today, I stand in silence,And it prompts me to be still To be stillAnd hold onto my wordsTo be stillAnd resist the need to actTo be stillAnd reside within my name Rooted in Your creationI lose my statureI lose my fullnessI lose my looksThank You Rooted in Your creationI gain my statureI gain my fullnessI…
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Exaltation of the Cross
There is a great light that shines from the Cross of Christ. A light full of grace that glistens my soul and illuminates the darkness and dysfunction of my human capacity. Oh the grace. A light full of mercy that corrodes my desire to “feel good” and exposes my attachments to the things that cause injury. Oh the mercy. A light full of hope that swallows the source of my pain onto Himself so that through darkness I might find life. Oh the hope. Today the Church proclaims the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Here are some of the crosses that have caught my eye over the last…
