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The Bridge
Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness. -Pope Francis The first step, that very first step So hard but filled with such emotion Our feelings propel us to act They propel us to move So we step We walk “It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all. The opposite of love is indifference.” -The Lumineers, “Stubborn Love” Yet, the more that we walk Our feelings fail us They die We are exposed Our inner most identities cry out Our daily activities no longer hide our desires We are left with simply ourselves We are on the…
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Blausee, Switzerland
God speaks. He always speaks. And yet it is during the times when we feel alone or abandoned that we need to hear His voice the most. Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, was a day to begin the journey into the “desert”, or “dark wood” of our hearts. Midway in the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood, For the straight way was lost. -Dante, The Divine Comedy, [Inferno I:1-3] The Lenten season is all about confronting the things that we would rather not confront. However, if we are not careful, we can be tempted to believe that we are alone in this confrontation, alone in the…
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Mürren, Switzerland
We spent the day in Mürren, Switzerland yesterday on a beautiful Saturday before a storm made its way in. We explored the quaint town with its snow covered streets (for skiers to get around) and magnificent views of the Alps. We eventually made our way up to Allmendhubel where we had lunch, and, where the boys got to play on the coolest playground ever!!! One thing that both Amy and I have really enjoyed about Switzerland, aside from its beauty, is its pace of life. It seems that the intentional emphasis on “slowing down” by the Swiss people can be reflected in not only the quality of life here but…
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Kandersteg, Switzerland
Today I was able to go to a place that I have been wanting to go to since moving here to Switzerland, namely, Kandersteg and Lake Oeschinensee. After about a 50 minute drive from our house I arrived in Kandersteg and went up the lift to trails leading me to Lake Oeschinensee. My family and I are very grateful to experience this adventure in Switzerland and have seen some beautiful places. But this is near the top of my list. The combination of the majestic peaks of the Alps and the silent serene landscape of the snow and trees made this visit very spiritual. For it took me out of…
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The Mountains and the Divine
Why do I need more? There is a profound yearning within me when I see such beauty. There is a profound desire within my soul in the face of such majestic sights. I want more. I desire more. Why isn’t this enough? The sight of such creation seems to come in the form of an invitation rather than a sense of contentment. For the beauty in front of me I see. I touch. I climb. I smell. And yet my senses can’t fill the holes of my desire. My eyes can’t lessen the deep yearning with that in which I can see. Creation is inviting my humanity into the mystery…
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A Single Tree
(One of the things that my wife and I both love are the “single trees” that shower the landscapes all over Switzerland. Here are a few in our village of Worb. This has made me think, beyond their beauty, what can a single tree 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 still And hold onto my words To be still And resist the need to act To be still And reside within my name Rooted in Your creation I lose my stature I lose my fullness I lose my looks Thank…
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Seeing the Beautiful
On one hand, they say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. On the other hand, maybe beauty is not as subjective as it seems. Maybe beauty is more about the ability to see it as such or not. In other words, beauty is everywhere and in everything. My ability to recognize this is in my life is somehow connected to joy. This makes me think then, what helps me to see? Switzerland is beautiful beyond words. The landscapes and mountains are indescribable. So much so, pictures do not do them any justice. One of the results of witnessing this kind of beauty is that it captives you, draws…
