Let Go and Trust in God

Lent is a time of reflection. The big question of the season is “What are giving up for Lent?” And if you ask my family, traditionally you will hear...

Let Go and Trust in God

Let Go and Trust in God

Lent is a time of reflection. The big question of the season is “What are giving up for Lent?” And if you ask my family, traditionally you will hear...

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Seeking Glory in the Lord

Seeking Glory in the Lord

In our liturgical calendar, Lent stands out as a period of profound seeking. Through our practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we seek to be...

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The Question at the Crux

The Question at the Crux

Who is this man Jesus who comes from Nazareth? Today’s Gospel reading, in which this Nazarene instructs Mary of Bethany to save her costly oil for...

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Revolutionary Love

Revolutionary Love

It is springtime in the early first century CE. The sun is overhead, warming your skin. The feast of Pesach (Passover) is nearing and you have...

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Christ with Us

Christ with Us

John 15:18. I’m often asked about the Bible quote in my Instagram bio. What does it read, what does it mean, why did I choose that quote? It reads...

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Be Church?

Be Church?

What does it mean to be church? In our readings today, we see that the beginnings of all the Abrahamic traditions start first with relationship with...

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Spiritual Perseverance

Spiritual Perseverance

As followers of Christ, we know that from the moment we follow Him, we’ve committed to embark on a lifelong spiritual journey. Jesus never said this...

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Something Quiet and Good

Something Quiet and Good

Ahh, the relief of a liturgical feast day amidst the long Lenten journey! Like stumbling upon a stream of water while wandering in the desert,...

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God’s Microphone

God’s Microphone

“A voice for the voiceless”: this buzz phrase inspired a younger me, but it now makes me squirm. It is a succinct, catchy phrase often uplifted with...

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Stable & Consistent

Stable & Consistent

Not many things in life are guaranteed. Of course, even the most casual of Christians know that the Father’s love lasts throughout the ages, and I...

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Refocus

Refocus

It has been a month since Lent began, almost to the day, and just two weeks remain in the Lenten season. It is the perfect time to perform an...

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Embrace the Offer

Embrace the Offer

You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to...

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Putting Christ at the Center

Putting Christ at the Center

There is a great temptation among many Catholics, including myself, to allow their faith to be obscured by earthly concerns; to elevate the ancillary...

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A Present God

A Present God

I don’t think I am alone in sometimes finding it difficult to recognize God’s presence in my life. This reality was particularly brought home late...

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The Grace of Belief

The Grace of Belief

In a recent workshop during “nun school” on Scripture and interculturality, a Scripture scholar provided several examples of Biblical stories where...

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The Sacrificial Act of Trying

The Sacrificial Act of Trying

The Catholic tradition of giving up something for Lent is ancient of days and ingrained societally and culturally – many people I know give up...

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Where Is My Heart?

Where Is My Heart?

"But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with...

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Community Rules

Community Rules

Have you ever seen a sign, policy, or law and thought: “I wonder what forced them to put that in writing?”

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Offering Forgiveness

Offering Forgiveness

When I see the words, “Peter approached Jesus,” I brace myself for what’s next. I resist the urge to say, “Put your hand down before you embarrass...

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There is only one God…and it’s not you.

There is only one God…and it’s not you.

Many years ago when I was on retreat, my retreat director said something that I have found to be very helpful for my faith life and which has stayed...

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Called to be the Father.

Called to be the Father.

I don’t remember the first time I encountered the parable of the prodigal son, but I can make a strong guess on my reaction to the story.

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The Importance of Almsgiving

The Importance of Almsgiving

In the first reading, we see an initial conflict between brothers, similar to Cain and Abel. We are prompted to think of the emotions that plague our...

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Keeping Our Leaves Green

Keeping Our Leaves Green

Hillhouse Avenue looks different this time of year. Barren branches stand against the backdrop of a gray sky and slush-laden sidewalks during the...

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The Heaviest Burden

The Heaviest Burden

Every year at the Ash Wednesday Mass, as I’m in line to be reminded of my death, I find myself running my hands through my hair, gently checking to...

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Imitators of Christ

Imitators of Christ

Be merciful, as your Father is merciful. Looking at our world today, it is hard to imagine if we can even figure out what this mercy looks like. The...

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Accepting our Challenge

Accepting our Challenge

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus took the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, up to the mountains and transfigured before their eyes. The three...

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Called to be Perfect

Called to be Perfect

Sometimes it strikes me as odd that Christ, the Living Word of God, should be so simple in his speech. So often when Jesus preaches in the Gospels,...

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God’s Fairness and Forgiveness

God’s Fairness and Forgiveness

Lent is a great time to reflect on the gift of agency that God has given us. Today’s reading invites us to consider how we exercise that agency. The...

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Enduring Mercy and Grace

Enduring Mercy and Grace

Leading the nascent church and setting her up for the end of time is no small feat. One would think that someone with impeccable character and...

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Seeking for Signs

Seeking for Signs

I’ll admit - I am constantly looking for signs. I always want to know, to have an answer, to have assurance that I’m doing the right thing.

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Open Hands

Open Hands

While on an Ignatian retreat at Mepkin Abbey this summer, I stumbled across Henri Nouwen’s book, With Open Hands. I was struck by the opening story...

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The Implementation is the Fight

The Implementation is the Fight

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus provides us with clear directions on what it means to love and serve Him. He reveals to us that the ultimate...

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Widening the Net of Care

Widening the Net of Care

"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and...

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The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God

Two days before Christmas I was sitting in a large reclining chair, watching the dark rust color of the liquid iron drip into my IV line. To receive...

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A Time for Action

A Time for Action

Every year in the weeks that precede Lent, I find myself pondering the same question: what am I going to do with this holy season? The readings on...

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The Right Path

The Right Path

Today's readings involve dramatic challenges and stark contrasts. Having received the Torah, Moses offers a challenge to the people of Israel. There...

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God's Grace Comes First. Always.

God's Grace Comes First. Always.

Meménto, homo, quia pulvis es, et in púlverem revertéris. Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.[1] We’ve all heard of the story...

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Witnessing the Universal Call to Holiness

Witnessing the Universal Call to Holiness

“We’re all called to be great saints. Don’t miss the opportunity!” —Mother Angelica, Foundress of EWTN One of the aspects that I really appreciate...

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Tanner's Annunciation & the Power of God's Call

Tanner's Annunciation & the Power of God's Call

Fourth Sunday of Advent: With all due respect, I don’t find many artistic portrayals of the Annunciation to Mary to be very engaging or very real...

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Faithfulness and Surprises

Faithfulness and Surprises

“God is always faithful to His promises, but He often surprises us in the way He fulfills them.”[1] I love this quote from Pope Benedict XVI. It is...

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Make Ready Your Hearts

Make Ready Your Hearts

A thirteen year old girl journeys alone through the desert, walking hundreds of miles from her home in the north to her cousin’s home in the southern...

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The Heart of Advent

The Heart of Advent

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent: When you think of “Advent,” what is the first verb to come to mind? Praying? Lighting candles? Rushing? My own...

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The Waiting is not Always Romantic

The Waiting is not Always Romantic

To await the birth of Christ, it seems, is to expect brilliance. Like the magi, all throughout Advent we hang our hopes on that burning star to guide...

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Where in our Lives can Christ Breathe New Life?

Where in our Lives can Christ Breathe New Life?

Today we read the story of the angel appearing to Zechariah to deliver the news that his wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son. Zechariah was afraid, and...

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Gaudéte in Dómino. Semper.

Gaudéte in Dómino. Semper.

Monday, Third Week of Advent: Gaudéte in Dómino semper: íterum dico, gaudéte. Dóminus enim prope est. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say,...

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How will the Spirit Impel you to Participate?

How will the Spirit Impel you to Participate?

Third Sunday of Advent: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Isaiah 61:1 During Advent, our readings point to the coming of Christ. Jesus, the...

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Seeing with Clarity

Seeing with Clarity

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent: The season of Advent always makes me think of my parents. I grew up in South Florida, where December days...

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Paying Special Attention

Paying Special Attention

Friday, Second Week of Advent: I’m a water guy. For nearly two decades, I’ve been open water swimming three times a week, four months a year. During...

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The Feast of Saint John of the Cross

The Feast of Saint John of the Cross

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent: It’s a big day. It’s Thursday of the Second Week of Advent. It’s the Feast of Saint John of the Cross, 16th...

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Hope in Christ's Coming

Hope in Christ's Coming

Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent: “Do you not know or have you not heard?” Do you not know that the One who created the heavens has also...

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Doing the Work of Christian Love

Doing the Work of Christian Love

I have always loved the rich affection that the Catholic imagination has for Christ’s Mother. In one sense, Mary is a humble, normal girl, who at a...

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They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

Monday of the Second Week of Advent: Today’s Gospel reading is a classic: Jesus healed the paralytic. It’s one of the earlier instances of Christ...

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Remember What We are Aiming For

Remember What We are Aiming For

Second Sunday of Advent: St. Mark begins his Gospel not with an account of Jesus’ infancy, but rather with a collection of Old Testament prophecies:...

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Call to God

Call to God

Saturday of the First Week of Advent Most of my suitemates are agnostic, and as the resident Catholic, I am often asked questions concerning my...

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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception On March 25, 1858, in a small, poor region in southern France, Our Lady revealed her identity to a young...

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Listening to God's Call

Listening to God's Call

Thursday of the First Week of Advent: Ambrose ! Bishop ! Ambrose ! Bishop ! The crowd chanted in unison as they chose Ambrose to fulfill the Milan...

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Celebrating the

Celebrating the "Who" not the "What"

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. Houses, buildings, and street corners adorned with Christmas lights. Bells ringing and...

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Unassuming Companions

Unassuming Companions

First Tuesday of Advent “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned...

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The Advent of Advent

The Advent of Advent

The First Monday of Advent It is the advent of Advent—the beginning of the beginning. We have entered a new liturgical year (B, if you’ve not been...

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Trusting the Light in the Dark

Trusting the Light in the Dark

First Sunday of Advent “Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?” This passage from our first...

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Prepare the Way of the Lord

Prepare the Way of the Lord

A few mornings ago, I was running along the trail at the base of East Rock with one of our students who was telling me about their experience...

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Stay Awake and Be Ready!

Stay Awake and Be Ready!

“Stay awake and be ready! For you know neither the day nor the hour that your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42a, 44; 25:13).

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Running on Faith: Shannon's Marathon Story

Running on Faith: Shannon's Marathon Story

Late Thursday evening last week I received an email from Shannon, a member of the Yale College class of 2021. This is what she wrote:

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Christ Until the End: Feast of the Korean Martyrs

Christ Until the End: Feast of the Korean Martyrs

Admittedly, numerous things made writing this blog a challenge. The feast of the Korean Martyrs doesn’t center on one particular saint, but numerous...

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Running on Faith: Worship & Doubt

Running on Faith: Worship & Doubt

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. The moment when the disciples, who accompanied Jesus through his earthly ministry,...

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Sustaining Yale Catholic Chaplaincy: STM’s Assistant Chaplains

Sustaining Yale Catholic Chaplaincy: STM’s Assistant Chaplains

In 1952, Father O’Brienꞌ31 reports to his board “[Father Murray] offers Mass here at the Chapel daily and is most helpful.” Fr. John Courtney Murray,...

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Running on Faith: An Incredible Capacity for Work

Running on Faith: An Incredible Capacity for Work

The film Saint Ralph (2004) tells the story of a teenager who undergoes intense spiritual and physical training to become a saint and win the 1954...

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Running on Faith: Immediately

Running on Faith: Immediately

It seems to always happen that the most sacred times in the Church year coincide with the busiest times in our lives. Just as during Advent, when we...

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Running on Faith: Excited for What's Ahead

Running on Faith: Excited for What's Ahead

A lot of the buzz leading up to the 2023 Boston Marathon focused on Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who broke his own world record in the Berlin Marathon in...

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The 90s & 00s: The Expansion of Catholic Ministry at Yale

The 90s & 00s: The Expansion of Catholic Ministry at Yale

STM celebrates one-hundred years of Catholic chaplaincy at Yale University . This celebration includes a series of archival exhibits in Riggs Study...

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Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent: God Brings the Children Back

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent: God Brings the Children Back

STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Sr. Jenn writes about a mural in Guatemala painted by children at the CEIPA...

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Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent: Remembering God's Faithfulness

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent: Remembering God's Faithfulness

In today’s Gospel, we encounter yet another instance of Jesus responding to accusations of blasphemy. Facing stone-clenched fists, Jesus calls upon...

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Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent: God Who Reaches Out

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent: God Who Reaches Out

In today’s reading, we are reminded of God’s unconditional love for us through the covenant with Abraham. As humans, we are imperfect as we sin, make...

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Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent: An Open Invitation

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent: An Open Invitation

Many years ago, when I was a freshman in high school, I had a transformative moment. An upperclassman took me aside and said that a certain sophomore...

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Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent: The Father's Ambassadors

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent: The Father's Ambassadors

Today’s Gospel tells a story of the power of witness. Jesus is conversing with the Pharisees and Jews, explaining who he is. Jesus tells them, “The...

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Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent: Failings Made Public

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent: Failings Made Public

C.S. Lewis wrote that all the worst sins are “purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and...

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Fifth Sunday of Lent: How Possibly Could I Not?

Fifth Sunday of Lent: How Possibly Could I Not?

When people outside of the faith first learn that I am Catholic, they typically ask the same basic question. Namely, they ask me how I can possibly...

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Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord: Docility

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord: Docility

STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Grace reflects on Mary's docility and her time at Nazareth Farm in West...

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Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent: Turn Back

Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent: Turn Back

We should listen to today’s readings with our minds and hearts. Something that the wicked didn’t do in the first reading. They don’t want to accept...

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Running on Faith: To Have

Running on Faith: To Have

In the spirit of this penitential season, I have a confession to make…that it’s been just over two years since, due to some issues with plantar...

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Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent: Forgetting

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent: Forgetting

By this point, pretty much everyone at STM knows that I am writing a paper on church bankruptcy. I’ve been thinking about it, talking about it,...

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent: Flowing Waters

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent: Flowing Waters

Driving from New Haven to Vermont a week ago, there were obvious signs of the approaching springtime which arrived yesterday. Crossing the Quinnipiac...

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Solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Great Leaps of Faith

Solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Great Leaps of Faith

So who is this Joseph who we never hear speaking in the gospels? You could say about Joseph, silence speaks volumes. In the gospel reading of today’s...

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Fourth Sunday of Lent: Grace-filled Reading

Fourth Sunday of Lent: Grace-filled Reading

Today’s readings do not make sense to me in a way that they once did. I used to take heart in the first reading’s description of how “God sees;”...

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Saturday of the Third Week of Lent: Abundant Mercy

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent: Abundant Mercy

STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Allan reflects on God's abundant mercy and how it shows itself in today's...

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Friday of the Third Week of Lent: The Ways We Stumble

Friday of the Third Week of Lent: The Ways We Stumble

Straight are the paths of the Lord; in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.

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Thursday of the Third Week of Lent: An Unhardened Heart

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent: An Unhardened Heart

Today's readings from Jeremiah and Psalm 95 challenge us not to "harden our hearts" and be like many throughout history who have "turned their backs"...

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Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent: The Heart of the Law

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent: The Heart of the Law

Statutes, decrees, laws—oh my! What’s a faithful Christian to do? The readings for Wednesday of the third week of Lent focus on God’s commandments,...

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Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent: Enkindling Love

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent: Enkindling Love

In today’s Gospel, we read of the servant who, having had his debts forgiven, refused to forgive those of his fellow servant. To we numerous...

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Monday of the Third Week of Lent: A Chance to Grow Faith

Monday of the Third Week of Lent: A Chance to Grow Faith

Who hasn't seen themselves reflected in today's reading at least once in their lives? It's easy to find yourself asking for something from God: more...

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Third Sunday of Lent: Defining Hope

Third Sunday of Lent: Defining Hope

Today, we hear in the second reading, “We boast in hope of the glory of God. And hope does not disappoint.”

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Saturday of the Second Week of Lent: Joyful Love

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent: Joyful Love

STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Joe writes about the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the father's joyful,...

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Friday of the Second Week of Lent: More Than We Know

Friday of the Second Week of Lent: More Than We Know

Have you ever struggled through something, then looked back and realized the value in that specific experience of suffering? I am a relatively new...

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The 70s & 80s: A Deepening Hospitality

The 70s & 80s: A Deepening Hospitality

STM celebrates one-hundred years of Catholic chaplaincy at Yale University . This celebration includes a series of archival exhibits in Riggs Study...

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Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent: Plot Twist

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent: Plot Twist

If I could describe the readings today in one phrase, it would be “plot twist.” The readings are continually taking our expectations of what “should”...

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Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent: The Right Way

Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent: The Right Way

Isaiah exhorts us to “cease doing evil; learn to be good, Make justice your aim: redress the wronged.” The Psalmist tells us “to him that goes the...

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Monday of the Second Week of Lent: Mercy & Reading Responses

Monday of the Second Week of Lent: Mercy & Reading Responses

I (generally) like rules and am good at following directions. I am a “get things done right away” type of person and am very wary of procrastination....

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Second Sunday of Lent: Our Need for Mercy

Second Sunday of Lent: Our Need for Mercy

What would it mean if we were to find ourselves defined entirely by our need for mercy? The passages from Psalm 33 in today's lectionary do precisely...

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Saturday of the First Week of Lent: Make the Outline First

Saturday of the First Week of Lent: Make the Outline First

STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Sarah writes about the artistry that went into the creation of the Chapel's...

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Friday of the First Week of Lent: Internal Transformation

Friday of the First Week of Lent: Internal Transformation

“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go...

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Running on Faith: Learning from Esther

Running on Faith: Learning from Esther

About a month ago, on one of the coldest and windiest days of the season, a student and I went for a long run. We are both preparing for spring...

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Tuesday of the First Week of Lent: The Words of God

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent: The Words of God

I am in love with words. All throughout college, this was my overused yet honest tagline in the student bios sections of newspapers, magazines and...

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Monday of the First Week of Lent: A Surprising New Understanding

Monday of the First Week of Lent: A Surprising New Understanding

What does it mean to love and serve Christ? In today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel, we receive an insight into this question. It is an insight that...

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First Sunday of Lent: A New Adam

First Sunday of Lent: A New Adam

"In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all."

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Saturday after Ash Wednesday: Sharing our Meals

Saturday after Ash Wednesday: Sharing our Meals

STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, David writes about hospitality and the Church through an image of a meal at...

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Friday after Ash Wednesday: Radical Transformation

Friday after Ash Wednesday: Radical Transformation

The readings on Ash Wednesday and the first days of Lent always prick my ears a little bit, as the prophets and Jesus speak out against public...

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Thursday after Ash Wednesday: Walking with Jesus

Thursday after Ash Wednesday: Walking with Jesus

In today’s readings, we sense an aura of doom and gloom. Moses directly informs the Israelites that disobeying God’s commandments will result in...

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Ash Wednesday: An Experience of Grace

Ash Wednesday: An Experience of Grace

I am always surprised by the large and diverse number of people who come for ashes on Ash Wednesday: Catholics, non-Catholics, active parishioners,...

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Running on Faith: Running for Refugees

Running on Faith: Running for Refugees

This past Sunday, as in the Gospel Jesus urged us all to strive for a higher order of righteousness, several members of the Saint Thomas More...

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The 50s & 60s: A Vital Factor in Religious Life at Yale

The 50s & 60s: A Vital Factor in Religious Life at Yale

STM celebrates one-hundred years of Catholic chaplaincy at Yale University . This celebration includes a series of archival exhibits in Riggs Study...

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Running on Faith: An Extraordinary Ordinary Time

Running on Faith: An Extraordinary Ordinary Time

Since the end of the Christmas Season, which concluded with the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord on January 9th, and moving through these first...

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Running on Faith: Five Steps to a Good Morning

Running on Faith: Five Steps to a Good Morning

A while back I wrote a Running on Faith reflection about a ritual and prayer routine I would do the night before a race – praying the Rosary and...

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Running on Faith: Born All Over

Running on Faith: Born All Over

In the Gospel we heard this past Monday, Jesus responds to those who objected to his disciples not fasting like those of John the Baptist and the...

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Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent: Masts & Covenants

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent: Masts & Covenants

An Image Reflection for the Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Sarah...

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Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent: Lift Up Your Heads

Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent: Lift Up Your Heads

When my grandsons need help with their homework, or a snack, or a hug, they look up at me and ask me for what they need. I always reach back down to...

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Running on Faith: The First to Proclaim the Gospel

Running on Faith: The First to Proclaim the Gospel

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked with favor upon his lowly servant. In his...

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Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent: Renewed Assurance

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent: Renewed Assurance

While Advent is a favorite season of the liturgical year for me, it is also one of the most frustrating. My frustration comes from the sense that our...

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent: An Invitation from God

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent: An Invitation from God

As the proud alumna of an elementary school named after Angel Gabriel and a high school named after Mary, I am grateful to reflect on the sacred...

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Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent: God is Never Late

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent: God is Never Late

In our liturgy throughout the Advent season, we are given images and messages preparing us for the Lord’s coming. The candles on the Advent wreath...

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Fourth Sunday of Advent: Fearlessly Trusting the Promises of God

Fourth Sunday of Advent: Fearlessly Trusting the Promises of God

What does it mean to fail to trust God? If someone put me on the spot with that question, I doubt I’d have much trouble answering. I’d think of all...

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Saturday of the Third Week of Advent: The Genealogy of Jesus

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent: The Genealogy of Jesus

An Image Reflection for the Saturday of the Third Week of Advent STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Grace writes...

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Friday of the Third Week of Advent: Growing into Faith

Friday of the Third Week of Advent: Growing into Faith

Today’s readings fuel the nostalgia settling in as I realize I am graduating college in a few months. It’s odd to think that about four years ago, I...

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Thursday of the Third Week of Advent: What Grounds You?

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent: What Grounds You?

Isaiah reminds us in today’s first reading that the God we believe in is a God of paradox. We are told that God is a volatile God, with outbursts of...

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Memorial of Saint John of the Cross: Are You the One?

Memorial of Saint John of the Cross: Are You the One?

I would like to think that I am not alone in feeling as though I am constantly searching. Searching for hope, answers, healing. When I read today’s...

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Memorial of Saint Lucy: The Second Brother

Memorial of Saint Lucy: The Second Brother

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out...

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Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Fragrant Blossoms

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Fragrant Blossoms

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On this day in 1531, Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Aztec convert, for the second...

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Third Sunday of Advent: Joy & Patience

Third Sunday of Advent: Joy & Patience

We have reached the Third Sunday of Advent, otherwise known as Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday. Throughout today’s prayers and readings, we are reminded...

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Saturday of the Second Week of Advent: Divine Fire

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent: Divine Fire

An Image Reflection for the Saturday of the Second Week of Advent STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, David...

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Memorial of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin: Heaven Happening Now

Memorial of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin: Heaven Happening Now

On this day in history . . . St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin met a woman on the way to Mass. She looked like any other indigenous mother-to-be, but it...

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Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary: What is Your Response?

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary: What is Your Response?

How would you respond if God spoke to you right now? Not in a vague way—a whisper in the wind or a sign you interpret in your life—but in the form of...

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Memorial of Saint Ambrose: To the Moon!

Memorial of Saint Ambrose: To the Moon!

“It’ll go up, and you’ll feel like you’re flying.” I turned to find the source of the high-pitched voice and saw a little boy, maybe seven-years-old,...

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Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent: The Love We Have Been Looking For

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent: The Love We Have Been Looking For

At age nineteen, I resigned myself to the fatalistic conclusion that, ultimately, everyone leaves. As a college first-year, I was adopted into a...

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Monday of the Second Week of Advent: To Begin

Monday of the Second Week of Advent: To Begin

“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to...

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Second Sunday of Advent: A Continuous Process

Second Sunday of Advent: A Continuous Process

“You brood of vipers!” “…every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” “…the chaff he will burn with...

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Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier: Schwabisch

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier: Schwabisch

An Image Reflection for the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it each Saturday. Today, Sr. Jenn writes...

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Friday of the First Week of Advent: The Power to Open Our Eyes

Friday of the First Week of Advent: The Power to Open Our Eyes

Upon reading today’s Gospel, I was immediately reminded of an article I came across many years ago. It was a summary of a presentation at an elite...

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Running on Faith: Opening Our Gates

Running on Faith: Opening Our Gates

Every year, at the start of the Advent season, which coincides with the busiest time in our lives, I am struck by the tension between trying to quiet...

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Wednesday of the First Week of Advent: Being Met

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent: Being Met

Today in the Gospel reading we hear Jesus tell Peter and Andrew, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” and “immediately they left their...

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Tuesday of the First Week of Advent: STM's Tree of Jesse

Tuesday of the First Week of Advent: STM's Tree of Jesse

Today’s reading from Isaiah 11:1-10 references the Tree of Jesse. In these verses, the Prophet Isaiah foretells of the coming of Jesus through the...

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Monday of the First Week of Advent: Cultivating Humility & Faith

Monday of the First Week of Advent: Cultivating Humility & Faith

Today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel recounts the encounter between Christ and a centurion, an official in the Roman military, whose example of...

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First Sunday of Advent: Preparing Our Hearts

First Sunday of Advent: Preparing Our Hearts

With the start of Advent, Christians recall the most offensive event in human history. We are forced to confront the monstrous fact that as humans we...

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Running on Faith: 2022 Boston Half Marathon

Running on Faith: 2022 Boston Half Marathon

Last Sunday morning, several members of the Yale running community contended with cool temperatures and early rain in the 2022 Boston Half Marathon....

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The 30s & 40s: Finding a Place & Wartime Ministry

The 30s & 40s: Finding a Place & Wartime Ministry

STM celebrates one-hundred years of Catholic chaplaincy at Yale University beginning this fall. This celebration includes a series of archival...

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Running on Faith: All Saints Day Dash

Running on Faith: All Saints Day Dash

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. Their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a...

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Running on Faith: God Fully Alive

Running on Faith: God Fully Alive

One morning recently, I was running along the trail in Westville’s Edgewood Park on my return from the Yale Track. It was the third in a string of...

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Running on Faith: Paving the Way

Running on Faith: Paving the Way

This past weekend, female student athletes returned to campus to celebrate fifty years of women’s varsity athletics at Yale as part of a year-long...

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October 1922: Fr. Riggs's First Semester

October 1922: Fr. Riggs's First Semester

STM celebrates one-hundred years of Catholic chaplaincy at Yale University beginning this fall. This celebration includes a series of archival...

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Running on Faith: Our Circular Trails

Running on Faith: Our Circular Trails

Earlier this week I joined almost one-hundred-and-fifty of my brother priests for our annual convocation in Groton, Connecticut. Because our day...

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Running on Faith: Re-Creation

Running on Faith: Re-Creation

A tendency that I began to notice, as early as my junior year in college, in my professional life, in seminary, and even now—although rarely, in...

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Running on Faith: Season of Creation

Running on Faith: Season of Creation

While running loops and rows in the Grove Street Cemetery this morning, I was being serenaded by the voices of birds, crickets and other insects,...

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Running on Faith: What Will I Do to Make This Place Beautiful?

Running on Faith: What Will I Do to Make This Place Beautiful?

On this gorgeous morning, over the course of a brief post-run stretch, I was having a nice chat with Angel. Angel is a member of our dedicated STM...

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Riggs Study: Where STM's History Surrounds You

Riggs Study: Where STM's History Surrounds You

STM celebrates one-hundred years of Catholic chaplaincy at Yale University beginning this fall. This celebration includes a series of archival...

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Running on Faith: Strides of Silence

Running on Faith: Strides of Silence

At 7:45 on Labor Day morning, I opened the Chapel doors and was greeted by a handful of runners who were preparing to run in the Faxon Law New Haven...

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Special Edition Running on Faith: When Nests Fall

Special Edition Running on Faith: When Nests Fall

It’s just forty-eight hours since we first learned of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas--the second largest school shooting in...

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Running on Faith: Delighting in the Run

Running on Faith: Delighting in the Run

Whether it was a good race or a bad race, whether you hit a PR or you tank, or just barely make it by, there’s nothing like the beautiful, freeing...

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Running on Faith: People in Motion

Running on Faith: People in Motion

As we are now in the final stretch of the academic season, many of us are contending with the late nights, the lack of sleep, the caffeine overload,...

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Running on Faith: Suffering and Finishing Well

Running on Faith: Suffering and Finishing Well

On Sunday, Assistant Chaplain Grace Carroll ran the Providence Marathon through the capital city of her home state in Rhode Island. She finished...

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Running on Faith: Running Towards Hope

Running on Faith: Running Towards Hope

On Tuesday morning, I celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Jack, a member of the STM community since he was just out of graduate school. He...

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Lent 2022: This is Water

Lent 2022: This is Water

An Image Reflection for the Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent STM's Assistant Chaplains and members of STM's staff will share an image and reflect...

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Lent 2022: STM's Stations of the Cross

Lent 2022: STM's Stations of the Cross

A Reflection for the Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent On this Friday before Holy Week, we wanted to revisit STM's Stations of the Cross.

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Running on Faith: Our Spiritual Postseason

Running on Faith: Our Spiritual Postseason

We are now in the final days of Lent. A week from today we’ll be preparing for the Sacred Paschal Triduum, which begins with the Feast of the Lord’s...

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Lent 2022: Finding Balance

Lent 2022: Finding Balance

A Reflection for the Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent During the season of Lent, I often think about the idea of balance. To me, it’s important to...

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Lent 2022: Accepting God's Will

Lent 2022: Accepting God's Will

A Reflection for the Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Today’s passage is a story from the Israelites’ journey out of Egypt towards the Promised...

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Lent 2022: Step Into His Light

Lent 2022: Step Into His Light

A Reflection for the Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent Today, we hear Jesus’s famous words, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not...

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Lent 2022: Feeling At Home

Lent 2022: Feeling At Home

A Reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Lent The Church down through history has struggled to understand and comprehend the sacred mystery of who Jesus...

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Lent 2022: The Sounds of Silence

Lent 2022: The Sounds of Silence

An Image Reflection for the Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent STM's Assistant Chaplains and members of STM's staff will share an image and reflect...

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Lent 2022: Signs of Contradiction

Lent 2022: Signs of Contradiction

A Reflection for the Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent Today’s readings center around the persecution of Jesus and offer us the promise of God’s...

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Running on Faith: Pass It On

Running on Faith: Pass It On

A running friend, who has actually written a few of our Advent and Lenten Scripture reflections, sent this image to me a couple weeks ago, saying: “I...

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Lent 2022: Calling Us to Believe

Lent 2022: Calling Us to Believe

A Reflection for the Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent The first reading today from the prophet Isaiah offers both great comfort and great...

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Lent 2022: A Closer Friendship With God

Lent 2022: A Closer Friendship With God

A Reflection for the Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent In today’s Gospel, we read about Jesus healing a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years...

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Lent 2022: The Foundation for Our Rejoicing

Lent 2022: The Foundation for Our Rejoicing

A Reflection for the Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent Today’s passage from Isaiah seems to present a contradiction. We know we are in Lent, a period...

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Lent 2022: Light and Binder Clips

Lent 2022: Light and Binder Clips

A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Lent Paul writes to the Ephesians, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Where can we...

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Lent 2022: Exalt God Not Oneself

Lent 2022: Exalt God Not Oneself

An Image Reflection for the Saturday of the Third Week of Lent STM's Assistant Chaplains and members of STM's staff will share an image and reflect...

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Lent 2022: A Living Palace for God

Lent 2022: A Living Palace for God

A Reflection for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive...

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Running on Faith: Psalm 95

Running on Faith: Psalm 95

Each morning, just about one hour before I head out the door, I get out of bed, I pound a cup of lukewarm or cold coffee, I take up my breviary,...

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Lent 2022: Keeping Our Promises

Lent 2022: Keeping Our Promises

A Reflection for the Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent Today’s readings are all about the law, and our continued responsibility to uphold it. Many...

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Lent 2022: Why Can't We Forgive Others?

Lent 2022: Why Can't We Forgive Others?

A Reflection for the Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent When I think of forgiveness, I think of God's patience and mercifulness. God is willing to...

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Lent 2022: Welcome the Stranger

Lent 2022: Welcome the Stranger

A Reflection for the Monday of the Third Week of Lent We encounter Leprosy frequently in the Bible. Why is this so, and why is this condition...

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Lent 2022: Encountering the Burning Bush

Lent 2022: Encountering the Burning Bush

A Reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent Can you think of a reading that takes you back to a specific time or place? Today’s first reading does that...

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Lent 2022: Silencer of Distractions

Lent 2022: Silencer of Distractions

An Image Reflection for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary STM's Assistant Chaplains and members of STM's staff will...

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Lent 2022: Patient Persistence

Lent 2022: Patient Persistence

A Reflection for the Friday of the Second Week of Lent Anyone familiar with the Broadway musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat knows...

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Running on Faith: Croagh Patrick

Running on Faith: Croagh Patrick

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Patrick, the fifth-century Bishop who is most well-known for preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland and using...

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Lent 2022: Profound Truths

Lent 2022: Profound Truths

A Reflection for the Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent I’ve always loved the story in today’s Gospel, even though it’s a little bit cringe-y to...

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Lent 2022: Butterfly Clips and New Wool

Lent 2022: Butterfly Clips and New Wool

A Reflection for the Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent In today’s reading from Isaiah 1, I keep coming back to the ending of verse 18: “Though [your...

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Lent 2022: The Grace to Be Merciful

Lent 2022: The Grace to Be Merciful

A Reflection for the Monday of the Second Week of Lent Growing up in Fort Pierce, Florida, during hurricane season, our Church would recite a prayer...

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Lent 2022: Moments

Lent 2022: Moments

A Reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent Occasionally we encounter moments – tiny perforations of the world’s ordinary fabric – when God feels more...

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Lent 2022: Returning Love Into the World

Lent 2022: Returning Love Into the World

An Image Reflection for the Saturday of the First Week of Lent STM's Assistant Chaplains and members of STM's staff will share an image and reflect...

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Lent 2022: Breathe Out the Grudges

Lent 2022: Breathe Out the Grudges

A Reflection for the Friday of the First Week of Lent “...But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever...

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Running on Faith: When God Draws Near

Running on Faith: When God Draws Near

As some of you may recall, I wrote in an earlier Running on Faith about Esther, the heroic Queen, and her urgent, deeply personal prayer to God,...

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Lent 2022: The Prices We Pay

Lent 2022: The Prices We Pay

A Reflection for the Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Rent. That little something that keeps a roof over your head each month. You log into Zelle,...

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Lent 2022: Who Are the Just?

Lent 2022: Who Are the Just?

A Reflection for the Tuesday of the First Week of Lent Over the summer, I worked as an intern at a federal court office in New Haven. I spent two...

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Lent 2022: A Quieter Passion

Lent 2022: A Quieter Passion

A Reflection for the Monday of the First Week of Lent "Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life." How many of us have struggled to say and truly mean...

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Lent 2022: Facing Temptation

Lent 2022: Facing Temptation

A Reflection for the First Sunday of Lent Lent is a time to cultivate holiness in ourselves. This seems challenging and that’s because it is. Doing...

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Lent 2022: Planting, Converting and Growing

Lent 2022: Planting, Converting and Growing

An Image Reflection for the Saturday after Ash Wednesday STM's Assistant Chaplains and members of STM's staff will share an image and reflect on it...

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Lent 2022: Separated from the Bridegroom

Lent 2022: Separated from the Bridegroom

A Reflection for the Friday After Ash Wednesday Reading today’s Gospel passage, I’m struck by how quickly this season of Lent — along with its...

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Running on Faith: Lent's Long Run

Running on Faith: Lent's Long Run

At the start of our Ash Wednesday liturgy, we prayed that the Lord would “grant that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian...

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Lent 2022: Opening a Pomegranate

Lent 2022: Opening a Pomegranate

A Reflection for Ash Wednesday Rend your hearts, not your garments[.] Every year, we begin Lent with these lines from the Prophet Joel. And for...

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Running on Faith: Praying for Peace

Running on Faith: Praying for Peace

Throughout this morning’s run, all I had on my mind was the reality that as our world emerges from pandemic, suffering and sorrow in so many forms,...

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Running on Faith: Finding the Overlap

Running on Faith: Finding the Overlap

On the February 4th episode of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert switched roles with his guest, Dua Lipa. The twenty-six-year-old singer, songwriter and...

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Running on Faith: A One-Time Running Buddy

Running on Faith: A One-Time Running Buddy

On a blazing hot and humid summer evening in Washington (D.C.) a few years ago, I was running alongside an elite runner, although I did not realize...

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