"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." More »

February 1208. A young Italian goes to Mass in the little church of St. Mary of the Angels, on the plain below the Umbrian town of Assisi. It is the feast day of St. Matthias, and the gospel reading is of Jesus sending out his disciples: "As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff. . . ." (Matthew 10:7, 9-10). More »

It may seem like just a single moment in your life, but right now, every moment, a river is coursing. We can usually only see it in retrospect. We realize that as we were making a certain decision, this factor from the past was pushing us one way, another factor was shading our thinking in another way, hopes for a particular future were inspiring us, and in the midst of it all, coincidence, happenstance, and any number of other factors were also at work. All kinds of things are going on, including, perhaps, a plan, greater and deeper than we could have realized then or even grasp now. More »

It doesn't take Doppler radar to reveal the storms in our lives. Apart from global terrorism and local violence, every family experiences turmoil: mismatched expectations, needy relatives, rebellious children, mounting debt, sudden unemployment, perplexing choices, beginnings and endings full of uncertainty. Yes, we are "battered by the waves . . . for the wind (is) against" us (Matthew 14:24). More »

On August 2, 1942, the German S.S. stormed a Carmelite convent in Echt, Holland, and demanded that one of its nuns, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, be handed over immediately, along with her sister Rosa. The convent was thrown into confusion: The prioress begged for more time, sisters threw together some belongings for the two women, and alarmed neighbors gathered outside. Only Sr. Teresa maintained her composure. “Come, Rosa,” she said calmly. “We are going for our people.” More »

Luke 9:28-36 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. More »

In my late teens and early twenties, I could often be found in dark, smoke-filled clubs, hanging out with my friends and listening to alternative rock music. Typically, the band members played loud, angry songs and sported earrings and spiked hair. More »

As July 31, 1556, was dawning, Ignatius of Loyola uttered his last words, “O my God!” Quickly, the news of his death spread through the streets of Rome. People exclaimed, “The saint has died.”

In 1622, Ignatius was indeed proclaimed a saint. Gregory XIII’s declaration echoed what the common people knew all along: “Ignatius had a heart big enough to hold the universe” (Mary Purcell, The First Jesuit: Saint Ignatius Loyola [1491–1556], p. iv). More »