The Commons

“What are you, Lord, what are you? What shall my heart conceive you to be? Assuredly you are life; you are wisdom; you are truth; you are goodness; you are blessedness; you are eternity; and you are every true good.” St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)  

A prayer entitled “Prayer to the Holy Family” from Pope Francis in his recent Amoris Laetitia (“On Love in the Family”) released 08 May 2016:   Jesus, Mary and Joseph, In you see contemplate The splendor of true love, To you we turn with trust.   Holy Family of Nazareth,…

“Mike and The Grass” became a chapter in Erma Bombeck’s book “IF Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing In The Pits?” Erma Bombecks “The Green, Green Grass of Home” was written November 1971. It makes a good “Mother’s Day” or “Father’s Day” story. When Mike was…

Here is a Mother’s Day story that is powerful but sad:  “Many years ago I came across a little French parable that moved me deeply: a parable of unbreakable sacrificial love. A widowed mother had an only son whom she cherished. Her tireless loving care was repaid with ingratitude. Heartless…

Change the name of the profession or ministry to suit your situation . . . but this makes for a fun introduction of someone: Some of you may not know that our pastor, …… is very athletic. In fact, that athletic ability is what led him into ministry. You see,…

An old mountaineer was undergoing a physical exam. “Have you been sleeping well lately?” the doctor asked. He thought for a moment, then replied: “Well, I sleep real good nights. Pretty good mornings. But afternoons I just toss and turn.”  

Every day at precisely 10:32 the pastor would leave whatever he was doing, rush to his study window, and there watch the subway pass by. It could be the middle of a prayer-meeting, or a committee-meeting, or even a counseling session, the pastor would get up, go to the window,…

“The Scriptures are filled with stories of people close to God, even as their own lives are often fraught with mess, confusion, frustration, betrayal, infidelity and sin. There are no simple human beings, immune to the psychological, sexual and relational complexities that beset us all.” Ronald Rolheiser  

We need to make introductions more fun and revealing. Here is something I have used in the past on friends and family when introducing them to an audience: Some people have an interesting slant on life and on literature. When {       ] first heard his/her teacher say “An apple a…

“The Scriptures are filled with stories of people close to God, even as their own lives are often fraught with mess, confusion, frustration, betrayal, infidelity and sin. There are no simple human beings, immune to the psychological, sexual and relational complexities that beset us all.” Ronald Rolheiser