Sometimes I look at my life, and I don’t know whether hypocrisy or irony is screaming louder. I write about mercy, because I believe whole-heartedly in its power to change lives and, in a broader sense, the world. That is not hyperbole. It is a truth that exists regardless of whether we acknowledge or believe it.
Despite my enthusiasm, doing works of mercy sometimes feels like a struggle. You would think in my zeal, I would embrace them with a “Woo-hoo! Here’s another opportunity for me to serve!” But often my “woo-hoo” sounds more like, “woe is me.”
Frequently the service we are called to do is organic, and, like the produce in the grocery store, organic always costs more. It has always felt easier to serve when I plan for it, choose the capacity, and have had a shower. When someone else’s misfortune interrupts my plans or to-do list, it can be frustrating.
Read more of this week's post: mercymatters.net/2018/09/18/practicing-what-i-preach/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. According to the World Health Organization, more than 800,000 people die every year due to suicide. That’s about one person every 40 seconds.
Last week in my community, a family buried their teenage son after he took his own life. He was popular, well-loved, and a talented athlete. Last year in my community, a family buried their teenage son after he took his own life. He, too, was popular, well-loved, and a talented athlete.
Neither of them had to die. The world is less than it was meant to be because they are gone.
There is a lot of sadness, suffering, and pain in the world, but there is always hope. If you have lost sight of that, please reach out to someone. They can share their hope with you until you find yours again.
To steal a line from Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
Nor, shall you.
The phone number for the national suicide prevention lifeline is 1 (800) 273-8255. ... See MoreSee Less
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Today is the feast day of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who personified works of mercy by dedicating her life to serving others.
She taught us to love people right where they are and that by caring for them, even in small ways, we could make a big difference. Her emphasis wasn’t as much on the acts, as it was the love behind the acts.
There are so many things in this world that I feel powerless against, but I can love. And she taught me that love is enough. That it is, in fact, the only thing. And that by loving others, by caring for those closest to us, we can create waves of change, one tiny ripple at a time.
That’s what she did. She may not have realized it, but for sure, she changed the world. ... See MoreSee Less
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"I was in an existential funk questioning my purpose, God’s plan for me, and the universality of suffering. Someone suggested as a solution that I should be more shallow. While I understood the spirit of love in which it was made, it was a funny thing to hear.
Besides, I’ve tried. I’ve wrapped my self in the superficial that society hawks. But when my closet starts to cram contents together, I am more interested in streamlining than another sale.
I am always telling my boys when they ask to buy something (that they already own four of) that it’s not going to fill them. I tell them God is the only one who can do that. Of course, this does little to discourage their desires. Still, I hope the message eventually settles in.
There’s nothing wrong with having nice things, enjoying a good sale, or a great pair of shoes, but the joy it brings is superficial, unsustainable, and nothing like the satisfaction we get from a relationship with God."
Read the rest of this week's post here:
mercymatters.net/2018/09/04/below-the-surface-going-deep-for-god/ ... See MoreSee Less
I wasn’t going to write about the unconscionable cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. I don’t have anything nice to say.
I am angry and it feels horribly unnatural to be angry at the church that I love. But the church I love doesn’t molest children and certainly would never cover it up and let victims multiply exponentially to maintain a sham of integrity.
Except they did.
It’s incongruous with the church I know who serves the poor, feeds the hungry, cares for the sick, educates, and indoctrinates. I have spent much of my life surrounded by Catholics. Like most Christians, they are people who live consciously, generously, and with a fierce commitment to love and serve others.
Trying to reconcile the beauty of my faith with this grave betrayal feels impossible. Yet, I know that all things are possible with God and I pray for healing. I pray for the victims who were violated, shushed, ignored, and invisible to the church who betrayed them. I pray for those who served on the Pennsylvania grand jury who investigated these atrocities and advocated for their exposure foraging a pathway to justice for victims and a forthright accountability of the Catholic Church. I pray for the many good priests who dedicate their lives to the teachings of the church, who follow the rules, and who imitate the life of Christ in their ministry. I pray for Jesus, whose holiness was shamelessly used to facilitate these crimes. I pray for the grace to move past this.
Read the rest of this week's post here:http://mercymatters.net/2018/08/28/catholic-church-sex-abuse-cover-up-time-to-go/ ... See MoreSee Less
