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Two years ago, writing for the same solemnity we celebrate today , I began my reflection like this:  As far as images of God go, I am really  not a fan of ‘Our Lord, King of the Universe.’ The emphasis on God as dominating male conqueror, the ultimate embodiment of power and military might, feels not only inaccessible, but deeply troubling to me. Yikes. Little did I know then how much more viscerally, how much more urgently  I would be recoiling at this imagery, if taken only

When I was 13, Cecilia was a pretty popular saint to choose as a patron when Confirmation came around in the spring of eighth grade. I chose St. Cecilia because she is the patron saint of music and honestly, I did not look into her life beyond that fact. Traditionally, confirmation names are meant to inspire us to emulate the good works of the saint we choose to adopt in this way. I cannot exactly remember what I felt I wanted to imitate in the life of Cecilia, but I can only

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”  Houses are the extensions of ourselves in the world. Houses are our sites of history, places of refuge. I think of my grandmother’s house, which was a haven to me, a magical pine-wood house in the middle of the North Carolina woods. When I moved into it to spend six months working on a book, I found myself at home in the midst of a tumultuous and difficult moment in my life. I was alone in her house, her things still splayed around me,

“Keep death daily before your eyes.” This is one of the “Tools for Good Works” from the Rule of St. Benedict (Chapter 4). It is a simple line, no context, no explanation. Just one in a list of things to do to do good. Gazing at death is something we are particularly bad at in our society. We pay good money for anti-aging creams, sports cars, and supplements (well, some of us do) to feel like we can look away from death. Yet, St. Benedict calls it a “Tool for Good Works.”   Al