Shortly after we converted to the Catholic Church in 1979, a woman from my former Episcopal parish died, and I was asked to come back to do the funeral. My Catholic Bishop gave permission for a Liturgy but not a Mass, so all was set. An immigrant from NazI Germany and a Catholic, she did not attend Mass, but did come to my Episcopal parish with a neighbor. We were quite close and she confided many things to me. She died alone, and I took that up with God in prayer. Whe

Ilia Delio, O.S.F, whose book, "The Humility Of God" I recommended in my last blog, quotes St. Bonaventure: "Indeed, no sorrow was ever comparable to yours, O Lord Jesus Christ! Your blood was shed so abundantly that your whole body was soaked with it...why did you let your blood pour forth in a river when a single drop would have sufficed for the redemption of the world? I know, Lord, I know in all truth that you did this for no other reason than to show the depth of your

Ali W. asks about humility and wanting to stay small. What a profoundly important question this is! The answer I want to offer is rooted in first looking deeply into the humility of God, since we are created in his image. Most people don't tend to see God as humble (except maybe in Lent), usually buying into the popular view of God as POWER, MIGHT, AWESOMENESS ! To Ali and to any other intense seeker of God I suggest you begin with Illia Delio's, "The Humility of God". Sh

#29 "When you are insulted by someone or humiliated, guard against angry thoughts, lest they arouse a feeling of irritation, AND SO CUT YOU OFF FROM LOVE AND PLACE YOU IN THE REALM OF HATRED." #31 "Just as the thought of fire does not warm the body, so faith without love does not actualize the light of spiritual knowledge in the soul." Anger is a more deadly poison for our open relationship with God than Serin, which kills in seconds. The Fathers are absolutely devoted t