Let Nothing Disturb You

I have found that Saint Teresa’s call to focus on the goodness of God when I need to discern helps me fight the demons of despair, self-rejection, and fear, and has overcome the powers of darkness with the power of God many times.

Jesus Wants to Free Us

Jesus wants to free us from the chain that imprisons us. He wants to free us by revealing that we are loved before we can give or receive love from anybody.

Our True Vocation

Too often I looked at being relevant, popular, and powerful as ingredients of an effective ministry.

A Place to Dwell

Your heart, Jesus, is so full of the desire to love me, so aflame with a fire to warm me. 

Refreshing Our Memory

I am struck by the fact that the prophets speaking about the future of Israel always kept reminding their people of God’s great works in the past.

The Source of All Peace

Do not give up working for peace. Always remember that the peace for which you work is not of this world.

God’s Preparations in the Interruptions

A few years ago I met an old professor at the University of Notre Dame. Looking back on his long life of teaching, he said with a funny twinkle in his eyes: “I have always been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted until I slowly discovered that my interruptions were my work.”

Choosing the Light

I know quite well the difference between darkness and light but do not always have the courage to name them by their true names.

The Gift of Joy and Peace

When we enjoy a good atmosphere in the family, a peaceful mood among friends, or a spirit of cooperation and mutual support in a community, we intuitively know that we did not produce it.

Our Heart: Center of Our Being

I am speaking here about something very, very real. It is about the hidden mystery of the primacy of the heart in our true identity as human beings.

Living in the Light

Lord Jesus,

I come to you to enter into the mystery of your way – the way of discipleship, the way that leads from the cross to new life.

Come Close to God’s Heart

As we come to know, more and more, that we belong to God and are part of the life of God, we also come to know the heart of God.

Praying for Courage

Praying means being constantly ready to let go of your certainty and move on further than where you now are.

Freed From the Bounds of Time

Celebrating means the affirmation of the present, which becomes fully possible only by remembering the past and expecting more to come in the future.

Surprised by Joy

With an eye focused on the poor, a heart trusting that we will get what we need, and a spirit always surprised by joy, we will exercise true power and walk through this valley of darkness performing and witnessing miracles.

A Small and Hidden Life

Discernment reveals new priorities, directions, and gifts from God.

Patient Expectation

We are living in this “little while.” We can live in it creatively when we live it out of solitude, that is, detached from the results of our work.

Keep Listening and Keep Looking

Poverty in all its forms, physical, intellectual, and emotional, is not decreasing. 

Different Forms of Love

Discipleship – giving expression to God’s love – takes many forms. Some people are passionate lovers. Others have an indignant love.

God’s Gentle Guidance

Theological reflection is reflecting on the painful and joyful realities of every day with the mind of Jesus and thereby raising human consciousness to the knowledge of God’s gentle guidance.