About a month ago, a brother priest and I were discussing the importance of loving God first and foremost in life. Naturally, there are many people that we love and cherish with intense feeling, and we all have various hobbies or interests that command a powerful devotion.
Q) I feel like my faith keeps failing. I will have these moments when I feel close to God and strong in my faith, but then I always “crash” and feel nothing. What am I doing wrong?
I was in the town of Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. With a backdrop of two volcanic mountains and facing one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, it was a picturesque place. It was also where, in 1981, Father Stanley Rother became the first American citizen to be martyred.
Last year's Lent felt as if it never ended. There was not the usual release and elation of Easter as I watched from my laptop at home, instead of with my church family.
Do you remember what it’s like to shake someone’s hand or even give a high-five? Do you remember what it’s like to hug and kiss those you love? We all feel that pain of not being touched.
Many years ago, before my ordination, I spoke with a priest in confession about some trouble I was having in a relationship. The priest listened calmly. Once I finished, he looked up and said in his typical witty fashion, “Sometimes, it’s nice just to go home and look at the pictures on the wall.” He always had a way of making me laugh.