A little over a week ago, I got to be near the ocean. I didn’t get to see it. I didn’t get to tuck my toe into the salty fluid; I wasn’t able to wade upon the sand and rocks and contemplate the depth beyond the shore. (I was near the ocean because I traveled…
The trees are getting naked around here. The trees: companions in my neighborhood, definers of the landscape, manifestations of God’s goodness, creativity, and strength. Towering oaks, maples, aspens, birch, all tucked between the pines. These wide-reaching wonders now expose their bark, limbs and brownish cores. Orange-tan leaves that once defined them, now cover the ground…
This is a complicated world, but not for the sake of trying. How do we respond? What is it that I have done? Have I tried to lay in the long grass, to wake early and see my breath? When did I last wait to hear, Not answer, not voice,…
By day, guest blogger K.P.—a good friend of Sister Julia’s—reads, writes, and has conversations about literature for a living. By night, she devours theology, sits silently with God, and pursues her calling as a lay order Franciscan through affiliation with FSPA. Each month she will share a favorite selection from her “Franciscan Bookshelf.” For 25…
I am in the woods on Mount Subasio above Assisi, Italy, at a sacred place of prayer called La Carceri. It’s July 20, 2014. I am on a pilgrimage, thrilled to be praying in this holy place where St. Francis and the early friars spent much time in contemplation. I too am in contemplation on…
Those who spare their words are truly knowledgeable, and those who are discreet are intelligent. Even fools, keeping silent, are considered wise; if they keep their lips closed, intelligent. – Proverbs 17:27-28 I am no stranger to silence. In fact, I love it and have often chose to lean into it. Silence is powerful and…
I need to be in the in-between where the dirt and grime dark, light fill cracks break backs and help one know the timeless truth “I AM with you.”
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