O ground of being, who dwells within us, steadfast is your name.  Your grace prevails in daily life as your will endures forever.  Feed us this day your words of truth, and forgive us for running from you as we forgive those who run into us.  Lead us away from all confusion, and deliver us from lukewarmness.  Amen.

HAPPY FEAST OF BLESSED BASIL MOREAU!

Root words and stems are fascinating ways to explore the depths of our human identity.  While we may think, for instance, that sober means “a person who doesn’t drink,” the etymology reveals something more spiritual, “on one’s own,” inviting the dignity of living from a place of authenticity and existential trust.  The word think actually comes from “to thank,” suggesting that the mind is more than a self-contained system of drama, but rather an altar upon which our memories and ideas might be offered to others in gratitude.  An abstract word such as truth can surprisingly be traced back to something quite concrete, “tree,” which is to say that we encounter reality in the deeply-rooted and close-at-hand.  Let’s therefore be dissatisfied with flimsy meanings at the surface and actually process the words we hear and use.  We will discover that at the heart of our human experience is a primordial pattern of speaking and listening with the Word who is the definitive meaning of our lives.  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

Warren, Ohio is an insignificant town on the banks of the Mahoning River.  This historic capital of the Connecticut Western Reserve once boasted of an elegant town square and a thriving economy, but is now dominated by abandoned factories and unsavory characters.  This is my home, the place where providence has planted my feet and called my hands forth into service to my sisters and brothers.  When the big cities capture my imagination with their towering skylines and breaking news stories – how my heart surges! – my hand reaches down and touches the earth, and I remember that this is where my body is supposed to be.  There will be a day when Warren, Ohio ceases to appear on maps and her city limits collapse into some new entity, but my soul will always rejoice in the weight of her geography and her constant invitation to become more human.  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.

“Just keep swimming” is profound spiritual advice from an unassuming blue fish.  The real issue in the life of the human person, indeed, is not getting beaten up, but getting stuck.  It all begins with that false voice that says we’re not good enough (Gen 3:5):  our hearts become dull and drowsy (Ps 119:70), and our lives gradually grind to a halt.  To move FORWARD, even if we do not know exactly where we are going, is an act of trust.  Such a decision, in fact, evidences a primal faith that cuts deeper than all the dogmatism and pietism in the world.  Praise the Lord for the revelation of motion as the essence of life (Ex 3:14).  Praise the Lord for the seasons of life when we bravely wander in circles.  Praise the Lord for the deep waters that invite us to swim with purpose for all eternity (Lk 5:4).  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.