My husband and I recently celebrated our 17th anniversary, marking easily the most wonderful 17 years of my life. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the most important words in a marriage aren’t “I love you,” significant as those words are. The words that often matter most…

A conflict-weary world breathed a collective sigh of wonder this week with the release of the first images sent back to earth from deep space by the James Webb Space Telescope. It was a moment to stop thinking about the war in Ukraine, our struggle with gun violence and our…

Usually on the Fourth of July weekend I like to fly the flag and dress in red, white and blue. I’m not so sure the flag will go up this year, and I might end up wearing black. …

Sunlight streamed through cypresses and sycamores as our group of scholars and appreciators of the writings of Thomas Merton sat on the porch of the hermitage on the grounds of the Abbey of Gethsemani where Merton once lived. Wind rustling through leaves and the one-note song of a nearby cuckoo…

You’ve got to love Pope Francis. The man isn’t afraid to speak his mind when he thinks it’s necessary. He doesn’t mince words when he wants something to change. …

I had a lovely conversation this past week with one of my favorite theology professors from my time at St. Peter’s University in New Jersey. Father Bob Kennedy is not only a noted Jesuit theologian but an internationally- recognized Zen teacher who has earned the title of roshi, master. Father…

Like the rest of the country, I mourned the unspeakable carnage this past week that snuffed out the lives of 19 school children and two of their teachers in Uvalde, Texas. With the world in so much chaos, it is difficult not to despair. What shored my hope was attending…

There is a scene at the end of Season 3 of the wonderful television adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s mesmerizing quartet of novels, My Brilliant Friend. In it, Elena Greco, one of the two female protagonists, looks at herself in a mirror and sees her image several years into the future. …

The Broadway musical Spring Awakening is the quintessential show about the torments of adolescence. HBO recently aired a concert with the original cast, 20 years after the musical opened. The show begins with a hyper-active, angst-ridden group of teenage boys bemoaning “the bitch of living.” It’s the bitch of living …