This morning I was jolted by this paragraph from Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, also known as Father Simeon, who is a Cistercian monk in Rome: “As long as man is trying to impress God with his own heroics, the heavens will remain shut. When will we understand that God wants nothing at all from us, not even…

Silence is so much more than zipping our mouths shut, or ceasing to make noise. I may refuse to speak to someone because I am too angry for words. Or I may mute my voice for fear of being rejected when I tell the truth. Perhaps I just need time to sort out all the…

    For years my idea of leisure was skewed. Perhaps I confused it with idleness. The image of a vacation on a tropical beach sipping a cold drink and enjoying the view had lodged itself in my brain as a vacation ideal. Having recently returned from one of the best vacations of my life,…