Nature

Within This Holy Quiet

Steve · February 25, 2018 · 10 Comments

leaf — Leaf in the Meramec River. SJG photo.

Sometimes, the quiet we seek is not mere silence. Rather, it is silence enough to hear a whisper, the voice of God calling out to us in the sounds of the earth. For this sunny, warming Sunday morning, I offer a poem about what we can hear if we dare silence ourselves.

Within this holy quiet
I hear your word in the wind
blowing through trees
in the caw caw caw of crows
(always three times, it seems)
in the rat-a-tat-tat of a singular distant woodpecker
in the slap of water against a mid-stream rock
at the bottom of the hill.

Notes from a Lecture: The Two Francises, by Fr. Michael Perry, OFM

Steve · January 31, 2018 · 2 Comments

Last night I had the good fortune to attend a lecture at Washington University (where I work) by Father Michael Perry, the American Franciscan friar who is the minister general of the Order of Friars Minor. Sponsored by the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics, Fr. Perry spoke on this theme: “What Do Francis of Assisi and Francis of Buenos Aires Have in Common? A ‘Franciscan’ Perspective on the Common Good.” My write-up here is by no means exhaustive of his roughly one-hour presentation but rather represents what most resonated with me and what I was able to capture in my little notebook…

A little background on Fr. Perry, just to give you an idea of his breadth of experience and education. He spoke from a deep, humble and well-educated place. Born into an Irish household in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1954, Fr. Perry entered the Franciscan seminary at Quincy University in Illinois where he studied philosophy and history. While still a theology student, he went to the Democratic Republic of Congo (ex-Zaire) where he served as pastor, researcher, and professor of mission and cultural studies. He completed his doctorate in social anthropology (religious anthropology) at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. and went on to serve as a foreign policy adviser to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and later as an adviser on African religion and social policy at Franciscans International, U.N./New York. He also served as a policy and programs adviser at Catholic Relief Services. From 2009-13, Fr. Perry served as the Vicar General of the Order of Friars Minor in Rome. Since 2013, he has served as the Minister General (leader) of the Order. He maintains an active interest and engagement in the promotion of peace and reconciliation in Africa, and in the promotion of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue.

Finding God in All Things: 10 Books for 2018

Steve · January 15, 2018 · 5 Comments

From time to time, as both a writer and a spiritual director, I get asked for book recommendations. So on this cold and snowy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday in the U.S., I stayed inside and scoured my shelves for ten books I would highly recommend, books that are both well-read and well-loved, books that have pointed me in different ways to the movement of God in my life, inspired me by their beauty and story, or have somehow appeared in my life just when I needed them most.

A New Psalm 8 for the New Year

Steve · December 31, 2017 · 12 Comments

Clouds — A painted sky, Sedona. SJG photo.

As we head into the New Year this cold, cold, cold (did I mention it is cold here in St. Louis?) Sunday morning, I find myself yearning for spring and pondering two of the (many) great mysteries of life: First, why are we so gifted with the beauty, bounty and intricacy of the world around us? And second, in the midst of all this signal of God’s glory—small and hidden as we are as minuscule beings in the vastness of the earth and universe—who are we that God is mindful of us?

When we walk in faith, each breath is a prayer

Steve · November 2, 2017 · 6 Comments

Doe Mtn — Doe Mountain Trailhead, near Sedona, AZ. SJG photo.

“The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing — to reach the Mountain, to find the place where all the beauty came from.” – C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces

Over the past four days visiting the beautiful red rock country surrounding Sedona, Arizona, Sue and I have taken a hike each day. It’s easy to do here, for there are trailheads at the end of just about every road and many, many hikes of varying lengths and difficulty from which to choose. So, whether you are occasional enthusiasts like us looking for “easy to moderate” trails, or more experienced (and fit!) folks looking for something much more challenging, Sedona is a wonderful place to put one foot in front of the other and take a hike.