this is the space of chrysalis--
of break-downs & becoming
something
something better
something more true
(we hope, we imagine)
this is the crazy time (some say)
this is what they warned us about:
"remember, you are more prone to accidents
and illness. remember to breathe."
no maps are available
no one has been here before
no one knows what's ahead
this is a time for noticing
where once-was has collapsed
and might-be is still unclear
this is the interim,
the great in-between
in this space,
ghosts linger close &
whisper
"have faith, trust"
"keep going" "let go"
in this space we abandon oppression
in this space we lean into freedom
in this space we cry to/with
Alpha, Omega & the Almighty Now
it's OK to grumble in the desert
it's OK to doubt
& cry.
really. it's OK to cry
with the weeping of the shadows
(is anything defined?)
in this space we cry with each other
for when all is stormy and unsettled
it's OK to feel fear with hope
it's OK to fear grief with joy
it's OK to feel excitement with anxiety
it's OK to feel gratitude with rage
it's OK to feel everything
for you are crossing through splitting seas
you are moving through passageways
towards mystery and dreams
for this is holy ground
this is the great bridging & rebuilding
this is sacred space
where we see
what was wrong
with what we
once named
normal
for this is a space to allow
a new creation
to burst and blossom
to get ready
we are on our way
I am writing this two days after the Feast of the Holy Innocents in the octave of Christmas in the year 2024. These words will be published days later when the octave is over and while I am away on a retreat, starting the spiritual exercises. The words will hang on this page for months–…
Blessed Oscar Romero will be canonized a saint in Rome this coming Sunday, October 14th. You can view the live Canonization Mass on EWTN starting at 3:30 a.m. ET or again at noon. In honor of the upcoming celebration, I offer you a review of the film about the last three years of his life that…
On the good days, I am conscious of the discoveries. This life under COVID-19 has been full of new and beautiful discoveries, both inner and outer. I recently read that while our outings to restaurants, shopping malls and amusement parks have all decreased dramatically, our visits to public parks has increased exponentially. This is certainly…
I was first introduced to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s cosmology at a bar in Wisconsin. I was a recently graduated senior out to eat with my parents, drinking a beer in public for the first time. I was still 18, but in western Wisconsin the legal drinking age is as obfuscated as Teilhard’s arduous writing….
I nearly skipped the liturgy. I almost didn’t head out into the cold night. After two full and exhausting days at the Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I wasn’t sure if I had any energy to interact with another person, especially any of my literary heroes. Yet, I made my…
Last Friday morning—the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration—two screens were in front of me; words and images flooding in. A glowing laptop sat upon my knees, my web browser opened to an online Bible, Psalm 34. It was there because I awoke with this song in my head, particularly the “The LORD hears the cry of the…