Thursday, February 6, 2025

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Depart From Me, Lord_02092025

Image credit: Miraculous draught of fishes by Raphael

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Depart From Me, Lord”

 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Simple amazement at catching a boatload of fish overwhelms Peter and gives him some insight into the person of Jesus. But Peter’s initial reaction is to resist Jesus telling him, “Depart from me, Lord.” Luke is the only Evangelist to record this episode from the early days of Jesus’ ministry and yet, this brief story speaks volumes not only about Peter’s call to serve God but our own as well. Like Isaiah in our first reading, we are very reluctant to put our shoulder to the task, claiming the obvious excuse that we are not worthy. And like Peter, we too often brush Jesus off or tell him to “hit the road.” To some extent, these are natural responses. We all know that we are sinners and can parrot Peter’s confession before the Lord, “I am a sinful man.” But God is patient, a characteristic essential for anglers, who casts out his line and waits for something to happen.

 

That waiting on God’s part is our to say yes to his invitation to divine life. God is calling us constantly from the day of our birth. He is calling us to be good children as we begin to form our consciences; he calls us to be good students and to learn about the wonders of the universe he has created; he calls us to build healthy, positive relationships with one another. God calls us into an intimate relationship with him through a sacramental life that nourishes us and draws us close to him through marriage and family life or as individuals who embrace a life of celibacy and or call the Holy Orders. God calls us into service to one another by the vocations that we choose: fireman, lawyer, teacher, janitor, soldier or those who profess vows as religious sisters or brothers, or as clergy be it as priest or deacon. We are all called to a specific task God has for us also, a task that only we can fulfill. And, our calling is not a one-time event. We are called each and every moment to live our lives faithfully by doing those things we have been called to do. We are especially called to be the best mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends we can be to one another, for family is a calling that is special to God. It is through family life that God reveals the dynamic love of the Holy Trinity and enables us to share in God’s divine essence.

 

Today we reflect on the call that we have received from God and thank him for the love he has for each and every one of us. Yes, we are unworthy and we know that, but so does God. And do you know what? He doesn’t care! He loves us beyond our sinfulness, and he desires that we love him in return. And so, as we look forward to another day, another precious gift from God, let us keep these words from St. Paul to the Ephesians in our thoughts:

 

“I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.” Eph:  4:1

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com  and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: The Shepherd who Didn't Run by Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda is the enduring story of Fr. Stan Rother, the martyr from Okarche, who loved, served and was martyred in the village of Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala serving among God's humble people. A truly remarkable and timely story about America's First martyr.

 

Recommended YouTube Video: An Ordinary Martyr: The Life and Death of Blessed Stanley Rother

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord_C - My Messenger_020225

 


Deacon Tom Writes,
“My Messenger”


“A picture is worth a thousand words,” as the saying goes. In today’s first reading the Prophet Malachi speaks of another messenger whose anticipated arrival was awaited with much desire by the Jewish people. Malachi writes that this mysterious person will be pleasing to the Lord and will purge every tinge of imperfection from his priests and his people. He will fulfill the covenant and be swift to judge with justice. Malachi writes that “You will find him in the temple”.

 

While our Christmas season has faded into the past, our feast today celebrates the Jewish ritual in which the first-born male born was presented in the Temple as a sacred offering to the Lord. What a thought! The most precious gift we receive from God is symbolically offered back to the Lord, the source of all that we have… and all that we are.

 

How our faith really challenges us! God’s messenger, God’s Word, God’s revelation of himself to his creation was manifested in such a fully recognizable and human experience, a child….  a vulnerable, needy, dependent, infant in whom lies the salvation of a broken world.

 

The Feast we celebrated today calls to mind our need to present ourselves to the Lord; that we are called to offer our very being and the work of our hands to do what God asks of us in bringing about the Kingdom of God here in our time, where we work and live and go about our daily tasks.

 

Jesus enters into the human family in an ordinary way, subjects himself to the rites and rituals of the Jewish faith in order to fully embrace our human condition. Throughout his ministry, Jesus continues to draw closer to the Father and discerns what is God’s Will for him. And, by so doing, Jesus becomes for us the “The Way, the Truth and the Life.”

 

The Prophets Simeon and Anna tell Jesus’ wonder struck parents somewhat of the foreboding road that lies ahead… there will be challenges for their child to overcome, there will be pain and suffering for him and them, too. Isn’t that the story of life? Perhaps that’s why God’s Messenger begins his story where we all do, an infant. May our journey through this life, like Jesus’ follow the path God has laid out for us. And may we follow his example and place our hope and trust in him.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com  and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

OTHER RESOURCES


Recommended Reading:  Christian Mystics - Their lives and Legacies throughout the Ages by Ursula King Introduces sixty men and women whose great devotion and mystical relation to God transformed the times in which they lived and continues to affect our search for spirituality today.

 

Recommended Podcast: 3 Stages of the Spiritual Life according to the Catholic Saints. A look at the lives of those who wrote extensively and contributed greatly to the spirituality of the Catholic Church? This video will explore some of the thoughts of St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross, St Catherine of Siena, St Francis de Sales and St Bernard of Clairvaux.

 

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - One in Christ_012625

  

Image: http://religion-cults.com/metanoia/cristo-cuerp-m.jpg

Deacon Tom Writes,

“One in Christ”

 

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

The devastation caused by natural disasters that currently devastate the Las Angeles area or the recent floods in the northeast, the sufferings of those traumatized by war in the Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza, the famine in may African countries, the fear on the faces of children with bellies swollen from hunger and disease, these images  have simply overwhelmed our senses. We just can’t take in the misery and suffering we witness day to day. In many respects we have become all too familiar with it all. It is painful to watch this suffering unfold, for, the truth is, our minds simply cannot grasp the horrific misery many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are enduring at this very moment. Worse, we may have even become indifferent to it. Consider what the Syrian people have experienced these many years. I know they have been forgotten or rather displaced by the suffering of other peoples whose situation is equally dire or, imaginable as it may seem, even worse...the Uyghurs, the Afghans, the Rohingya or the Yemenis. It is virtually impossible to comprehend the millions of people who are on the verge of starvation in these and many other places around the world! Then again imagine what it is like to lose everything you own in an instant when a tornado rips through your home or the nearby wild fire blazes over the hilltop and consumes everything in sight, everything you have worked your whole life for and perhaps even a loved one. Yes, these are horrific images that overwhelm us and perhaps we can’t even bare to look at them. Yet, St. Paul tells us the reason we Christians feel the pain that others are experiencing is because we believe that we are all part of the one Body of Christ. “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it” St. Paul reminds us in today’s reading. Are we feeling the pain that our brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing today?

 

St. Paul recognized that we are intimately united with one another when we enter into a relationship with Christ. His experience while on his way to Damascus to persecute those early followers of Christ helped formed this understanding. Recall the events of the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 9, when Saul was blinded by a bright light and fell to the ground. He heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me”? When Saul asked who was speaking to him, he heard the response, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Saul must have felt totally bewildered. He was on a mission to put an end to that fledgling group of Jesus’ followers, NOT to encounter this Jesus who was already dead. But after this profound encounter with Jesus, the newly transformed bounty hunter would become one of Christ’s greatest witnesses. And one of his many contributions to our faith is what he understood to be this Mystical Body of Christ that we read about today.

 

Because we Christians believe that we share this mystical union with one another through Christ, all of us suffer any and each time someone else suffers physically, mentally, or emotionally, whether the cause is natural or the result of our own violent, aggressive and misguided activities. Yes, we are all aware of the suffering and misery that thrives in our world today. And how are we as Christians to respond to the afflictions of refugees, or the victims of war…AIDS…poverty…injustice, etc. that ravage our brothers and sisters in Christ, all of whom, we believe, are made in the image and likeness of God? Certainly, financial support is essential for food, medical supplies, and disease control. These items are most essential. But also, we cannot overlook our spiritual contributions – prayer, fasting and time spent reflecting on how the suffering of people around the world is bound up with Our Lord’s redemptive suffering that frees us from death and restores us to everlasting life. In the end we need both the material and the spiritual contributions to help alleviate the suffering of so many people. Doing our small part will help us better understand ourselves as the mystical body and provide much needed assistance to those in need. And, therein lies tremendous hope for our broken and troubled world.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com  and listen in as Paulist Fathers Deacon Affiliates engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those thinking of coming into or leaving it.

 

OTHER RESOURCES

 

Recommended Reading:  Life is Changed, Not Ended: An Introduction to Christian Eschatology by Robin Ryan  Beginning with its anthropological foundations, Robin Ryan explores the development of Christian eschatology―the consideration of the "last things," our anticipation of our "joyful hope" as the liturgy says. Working his way through Scripture, the Christian tradition, and modern theology, Ryan ends with a reflection on Julian of Norwich's teaching about hope grounded in the love of God as exemplified by the passion of Christ, and considering the mystery of suffering.

 

Recommended Podcast: Opening Minds, Opening Hearts Podcast with Colleen Thomas & Mark Dannenfelser. Episode 12/03/2023 with Fr. Greg Boyle - Fr. Greg Boyle: Everybody is Unshakably Good. No Exceptions.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Water into Wine - A Call for Transformation_011925

Image Credit: The Wedding Feast at Cana by Fr. Joel

Deacon Tom Writes,
“Water into Wine – A Call to Transformation”

The Wedding Feast at Cana is the third “epiphany” of our Lord because it is the third official occasion in which Jesus’ identity is made known to others. The first revelation was recounted two weeks ago on the Feast of the Epiphany when the magi came from the far corners of the world to pay homage to the Christ Child. Last week was the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord and Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved. Today at Cana Jesus reveals his power over the natural order by, of all things, changing water into wine.

 

Jesus is an agent of change, radical change, change where what was, ceases to be and what was not, comes into being. According to John, Jesus is the Preexistent and Incarnate Word who comes to reveal the Father to us. Jesus’ mission is to establish God’s reign in our world through his creative and transformative works inaugurated with this amazing miracle at Cana.

 

It is important for anyone who wants to experience a deeper spiritual life to be open to the transformative power of Christ. It’s difficult to make any significant changes in our lives. How long does it take us to abandon our new year’s resolutions? How much more so when it comes to any deep-seated, harmful bad habits or prejudices we may have harbored for years. There are several reasons for this: first, because we don’t see them for the evils that they are, so we ignore them. Denial is an insidious part of our human nature. Second, we are very good at putting off difficult changes until tomorrow. Tomorrow, of course, never comes.

 

Jesus’ ministry is one that invites us to examine our lives and root out behaviors that are contrary to our spiritual well-being. He does this, if we take up the challenge, by removing our blindness, curing our paralyses and giving us the opportunity to embrace the new life that only he can give. In other words, he empowers us to overcome the obstacles that hinder our spiritual growth. Jesus gives us the power to change; he gives us the living water of Baptism and the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. And, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation when we fall. He gives us the power to come to know him through the abundant sacramental life that feeds and nourishes all who desire him and imitate his prayer life.

 

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reveals that the transformative work begun by Jesus is continued through the power of the Holy Spirit who lavishes God’s gifts upon us for the good of all. We all drink from the one Cup that has been filled with the “Good Wine” that Jesus has made available to all who come to him looking for God’s infinite love, mercy, and compassion.

 

We have been given the greatest of gifts possible in that we have been given this new year to continue our efforts to deepen our relationship with Christ. May God bless us in this work to... change the things we can change, accept those things that we cannot and grant us the wisdom to know the difference.

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it. 

 

OTHER RESOURCES

 

Recommended Reading: Hope Against Darkness by Fr. Richard Rohr is an excellent treatment of what we are so afraid to encounter... our dark self. Rohr describes how following Saint Francis' way to forgiveness and love, and "owning the darkness," can bring us out of the postmodern pit in which we find ourselves.

 

 

Recommended Podcast: Recovering the mystical Identity of Christianity – Part 2. This is a wonderful presentation by Fr Laurence Freeman who leads us on seeing the mystical in our everyday lives… Great stuff for the soul here… Give it a go….

Thursday, January 9, 2025

The Baptism of the Lord_C - Christ Among Us_011225

 Image Credit: Baptism-of-Christ.jpg/ by Davezelenka


Deacon Tom writes,

Christ Among Us

 

The Baptism of the Lord, Year C

 

Today’s celebration of The Baptism of the Lord marks an end to this Christmas Season. I hope the peace and joy of the Christ Child touched you and your loved over the course of this holy time of year. You will notice that the white vestments that have signified these solemn days of Christmas will give way to green indicating a return to “Ordinary Time”  next week as the liturgical calendar rolls forward.

 

Last Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord. This Feast’s importance is centered on the visit of the magi whose presence before the newborn King of the Jews reveals God’s loving plan of salvation for all the nations of the world. Yes, God who first befriended the people of Israel now sends his Only Begotten Son into the world so each person may experience the intimate presence of Emmanuel, the presence of Christ living among us.

 

In today’s gospel text Jesus comes to John to be baptized in the Jordan River, a second occasion where God is visibly living and active in our human family. God’s voice from on high proclaims and affirms Jesus His “Beloved Son” as the Holy Spirit descends in bodily form. Yes, today we experience the fullness of Trinitarian love fully present in the completely human person of Jesus.

 

The Baptism of Jesus reveals the mystery of the presence of God in all of our lives. God comes to us when we are baptized just as he came to Jesus, filling us with his Spirit and claiming us as his own. We too become his “beloved.” We are invited to deepen our awareness of the calling we have received in our own baptism and, as our journey of faith continues, to pass the fire burning within us to all those who come into our lives. But really, is this really happening in our lives? Do we have any sense at all that we are God’s “beloved”? I remember the Nuns in school telling us if we were the only person alive, Christ would have come down and died for us. That profound thought should help us grasp that God loves more than we can imagine and therefore should move us to love God in return equally as much... even with OUR own heart, soul, mind and strength.

 

Our relationship with God is much like our relationship with others in our lives. Just as it would be virtually impossible to have a healthy and meaningful relationship in this life with someone we claim to love but then constantly ignore, so to with God. To be his “beloved” is to be in an intimate and trusting relationship with him, a union of trust and faithfulness that is mutually nourishing, beneficial, health, and supportive, and yes, even full of surprises!

 

As we ease back into Ordinary Time, let us remember that we are God’s “beloved.” Let this simple thought become our mindset as we move into this new year so that we take advantage of every opportunity to act as God’s beloved and continue to grow in his love, deepen our relationship with him, and to share the abundance of his love with everyone whose lives touch ours. Can you think of any better way to help our troubled world than to share God’s love with everyone in our lives?

 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom

 

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it. 

 

OTHER RESOURCES

 

Recommended Reading: Christian Mystics - Their Lives and Legacies throughout the Ages by Ursula King. Introduces sixty men and women whose great devotion and mystical relation to God transformed the times in which they lived and continues to affect our search for spirituality today. What a good way to nourish our spiritual lives by learning from the lives of those who have travelled the way before us.

 

Recommended Podcast: Recovering the mystical Identity of Christianity This is a wonderful presentation by Fr Laurence Freeman who leads us on seeing the mystical in our everyday lives… Great stuff for the soul here… Give it a go….


Please leave a comment. I would like to hear your thoughts.... Tks

 










Thursday, January 2, 2025

The Epiphany of the Lord_C - Lighten the Load_0105025


Epiphany_Three-Kings_reyes

Deacon Tom Writes,
“Lighten The Load”

 

The Epiphany of the Lord, Year C

 

No matter what the Holiday may be, we often hear headlines about how horrible airline travel is... delayed or cancelled flights, long lines, frustrated or impatient travelers.  Then there is the 50-pound weight limit for our baggage which, if you go over, you get dinged a $35 or $50 penalty. Perhaps you have seen people pulling items out of their check in bag and stuffing them into the carry on to avoid the penalty. If you are smart, you use your scale at home to avoid such a scene at the airport. In that case you might be confronted with the difficult choice of leaving behind that extra sweater or the additional pair of dress shoes and if push comes to shove, and you can’t decide, oh well, you are just going to have to pony up the extra bucks!

 

I wonder if the Magi had trouble packing all they needed for their trip. They didn’t know how long their journey would take nor what exactly they would need along the way. There was only so much that they could bring with them and there were no shopping malls along the way like there is today. They had to pack wisely if they wanted to find that special object they were seeking, the infant King of the Jews.

 

This journey of the Magi that announces the Good News of God’s salvation to the entire world invites us reflect on the journey of our lives. The Magi’s story prompts us to ponder the direction of our lives and asks us, “What it is that we are looking for in this life”? What is the object of our hearts’ desire that is driving us forward each day; what is that “special thing” that will completely satisfy us when we find it? Most of us recognized that our lives are so busy and cluttered at times that we often neglect those important things that give us the most joy and happiness. Suffering from that same condition, I have been asking myself what are the essential, absolute necessities I need to enjoy life. It comes down a single word…relationship. Relationships with my family, friends, and God are what matter most to me at this stage of my life. Perhaps the same is true for you also. 

 

There are so many activities that contribute to the busyness of our lives that don’t contribute to the quality of our lives, nor do they lead us to what is most important: a deeper relationship with those around us and God. If the choices we are making aren’t leading us to deeper, more profound relationships, then, these are the things we need to leave behind, just like we must leave some things behind when we pack for the airport. Life, as we are often reminded, is full of choices…some are good, and others, well, not so good.


The choice I hope all can agree upon as we enter into 2025 is our own individual need to make better spiritual choices in the New Year. By that I mean, to choose to spend more time in prayer, more time examining our conscience to see where we need to make some changes in our attitudes or to identify areas where we just aren’t living up the teachings Christ taught us, those difficult things to do like forgiving others, not judging others, stopping gossip or overcoming our skepticism over so many things. As our lives have been turned upside down in many ways because of the pandemic, perhaps we can use the time going forward to delve into our spiritual lives and toss out any baggage that is not leading us into intimate communion with the Heart of God.

 

May God, who sent His only Son to “dwell among us,” help us to accomplish this in the New Year. And, may God bless you and your loved ones in the days to follow.

 

Enjoy the day and a very Blessed, Holy, and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

Deacon Tom

 

 

Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it. 

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Recommended Reading: The Cloud of Unknowing and the Book of Privy Counseling is an anonymous fourteenth-century text and one of the most practical and useful guides to finding union with God ever written. The Cloud of Unknowing consists of a series of letters written by a monk to his student or disciple, instructing him (or her) in the way of Divine union. Its theology is presented in a way that is remarkably easy to understand, as well as practical, providing advice on prayer and contemplation that anyone can


Recommended Podcast: Desert Fathers in a Year (with Bishop Erik Varden) Exodus 90 – ( Link to Apple Podcast.)

Modern life is like a desert—a parched and barren expanse where the soul thirsts for the living water Jesus promised at the well. Amid the ceaseless distractions and allurements of materialism, God can seem absent. As the Desert Fathers of old fled the noise of the world to seek God in silence, we too have been called into the desert.
Guided by Bishop Erik Varden, this year-long series—beginning January 1, 2025—invites listeners to encounter the profound wisdom of the Desert Fathers.

Bishop Erik Varden, a Cistercian monk and Bishop of Trondheim, Norway, is one of today’s leading Catholic voices. A convert to Catholicism during his studies at Cambridge, he was drawn to the monastic life, ultimately joining Mount St. Bernard Abbey in England, where he eventually became abbot. Through his writing and teaching, Bishop Varden speaks compellingly to a secular world, using the language of beauty to reveal the centrality of our search for God—even when we wander astray.
Join us as we step into the desert together, guided by the wisdom of the ancients, to rediscover the love of Christ that conquers all obstacles. Visit DesertFathers.com to learn more.





Monday, December 30, 2024

Solemnty of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God_C - Theotokus_010125

Theotokus, “Joy of All” Icon – orthodoxmonasteryicons.com


Deacon Tom writes,

“Theotokus”

 

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God_ Year C

 

I don’t know of a better way to begin the New Year than by celebrating the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God….In honoring Mary today we have the opportunity to reflect on the fact that God had an infinite number of ways that He could have chosen to make good on His promise to Adam and Eve after the fall…The time, circumstance and conditions as to how He would redeem us were endless.

 

Yet, during this holy season, we celebrate that God chose the most improbable way imaginable…He chose to fix the mess we got ourselves into by becoming one of us; by choosing to be born not to a woman of high status – a queen, 

a princess, a wealthy woman. No, he chose a simple young girl  of little or no means. And setting aside His Divinity… He crept into our history and joined our humanity.

 

It took years of before we recognized the depth of this mystery. In the year 431, the Council of Ephesus declared Mary to be “Theotokus” meaning, “Mother of God” the title of the Feast we celebrate today, as we look forward in hope to the dawning of a New Year.

 

In recognizing Mary as the “Mother” of God we are able to glimpse ever so slightly the depth of the Incarnation when we reflect on the Christ Child born into human poverty. In this image of Mother and Child we come to understand the reality and depth of God’s unconditional love of the highest of His Creation, the human family in all its brokenness, fragility, and fear.

 

This is the message Mary’s child carried into our world. We all belong to God’s Holy family….Where everyone is called to share in the life-sustaining, unconditional love of God and even in His very nature.

 

As the New Year dawns on us, let us ponder the wondrous gift of Mary, the Mother of God--- Theotokus. Let us place our hope and trust in her for all our needs as she abides in the presence of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May her favor be upon us as we welcome this New Year.

 

 

Through the intercessions of Mary, Mother of God,  may…… 

The Lord bless us and keep us!

The Lord let his face shine upon us and be gracious to us!

The Lord look upon us kindly and give us peace!

 

 

Wishing you and your families a…Happy, Holy, and Healthy New Year‼!

Deacon Tom

 

Please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you....


 Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacons engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those on the threshold, those thinking of joining our Catholic Community or walking away from it.

 

 OTHER RESOURCES


Recommended Reading:  Blessed Among Us: Day by Day with Saintly Witnesses by Robert Ellsberg

Since the early centuries, Christians have held up the saints as models of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Blessed Among Us explores this eclectic “cloud of witnesses”—lay and religious, single and married, canonized and not, and even non-Christians whose faith and wisdom may illuminate our path. In two stories per day for a full calendar year, Ellsberg sketches figures from biblical times to the present age and from all corners of this world—ordinary figures whose extraordinary lives point to the new age in the world to come.
  
Blessed Among Us is drawn from Ellsberg’s acclaimed column of the same name in Give Us This Day, a monthly resource for daily prayer published by Liturgical Press

 

Recommended Podcast: Things Not Seen Podcast hosted by David Dault speaks with Robert Ellsberg, publisher of Orbis Books, on his friendship with Sister Wendy Beckett -- a friendship based on several hundred letters, exchanged on an almost daily basis, during the last three years of Sister Wendy's life. Initially they dealt with lives of saints, the meaning of holiness, and the spiritual life, but they soon expanded into a deep and intimate exchange that encompassed our whole lives, the subject of love, suffering, joy, and the presence of grace in everyday life. The correspondence is collected in the recent book, Dearest Sister Wendy.

 

Sister Wendy, who died in December 2018, was a consecrated hermit who lived on the grounds of a Carmelite monastery in England. For some years she achieved highly unlikely fame when she was discovered by the BBC and given her own TV series to comment on art. From this there followed many books on art and spirituality. But eventually she reverted to her solitary life. Many had urged Sister Wendy to write more about her interior life--but she always refused. That is what changed in the course of our correspondence, to the point that she observed that the book I had been seeking was to be found in our correspondence.