Assisi for the 4th of July. I had a bunch of teenagers with me, and they reminded me that they had never been away from the US on our Independence Day. I knew I wasn't going to find any fireworks, and I also realized that it wasn't necessarily the place to whip out our American flags.So, we did the next best thing. We sat around in the piazza outside the doors of theBasilica of St. Francis, and...

I was thinking the other day that a lot of my blog postings deal with some pretty serious stuff. We've all got issues that we're grappling with, but sometimes, don't you think it's good just to lighten up and have a laugh? I've heard it said that laughter is the best medicine. With that in mind, here's a joke for you.

The distinction between "professional" and "amateur" is often very slight,...

About three weeks ago, my first bulb catalogue came in. For a gardener, it's like seeing the first Christmas merchandise roll into the stores after Labor Day. I'm not quite ready to think about it yet. I took this photo of these single late tulips this past spring. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name, and wouldn't you know it, they're not included in this year's catalogue. I know I'm not...

"For this is our God,

whose people we are,

God's well-tended flock." Psalm 95:7

I know they might be a bit hard to make out, but there eight little ducklings in the photo above. They were really small, about half the size of my fist. I want to share with you the story behind the photo. I think it's a good one.

On the last day of my retreat last week, I drove over to Patapsco State Park, about a ten...

Using laser beams, archeologists working in Rome recently uncovered what are believed to be the oldest surviving frescoes of the Apostles Peter, Andrew, John, and Paul. Dating from the 4th century these works of art are located in the catacombs of St. Tecla. They've known that there were frescoes there, but they were covered with a thick layer of centuries old calcium build-up. It took...

There's a lot of thoughts floating through my head today, having just made an eight day silent retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. I'm planning one writing about several key insights over the next couple of weeks, and I thought I just as well might start today.During the past three retreats, my director has been a man named Stephen. On the surface, one might assume that he...

Well, I'm back from my retreat. It was a good one, and I'll be sharing some of the experiences with you over the next couple of weeks. I came across this little story while I was away, and I thought I'd share it with you. I hope it has as much meaning for you as it did me.

There was once a boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper,...

three minute retreat. Is that all it takes? Yes, and I've actually found that on some crazy days, I have to slow myself down or I would have it done in two. Of course, you could also stretch it out to, say, five minutes if you wanted to.Following Ignatian Spirituality, these short refections begin with a beautiful image. With some instrumental music if you like, you'll scroll through a...

This afternoon, I'll be heading out for my annual silent retreat. The retreat center where I go generally has these Ignatian retreats in August, but this year, it was moved to the middle of June. As I noted in my post yesterday, I know that God always has a plan. I'm wondering if He knew how much I would need a retreat at the beginning of the summer, instead of at the end. Maybe it will be made...