Pray Without Ceasing

"He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens.And when you see the south wind blowing, you say,'There will be scorching heat';and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky,but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?" (Luke 12:54-56) Our culture is fascinated by the weather. Inordinate amounts of time are devoted to it on television, and when there is an actual "weather event," the media (and many of us as a result) are riveted. A young friend of mine recently showed me around weather.com. I was amazed to discover what detailed weather information is available there. In addition to finely nuanced updates on precipitation--including the ability to "see" about 6 hours into the future as well as "revisit" the immediate past--one can also reference the current cloud cover worldwide ...

God does not frown or sleep. The former thought came to mind in pondering "What Wondrous Love Is This," a North American folk hymn. Its second stanza, which seems to present a perfect meditation for our Lenten discipline, reads: When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul, Christ laid aside his crown for my soul. And the latter thought emerged in pondering the words of final address by Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square  on February 27, when he told the crowd : "There were moments of joy and light but also moment that were not easy...there were moments, as there were throughout the history of the Church, when the seas were rough and the wind blew against us and it seemed that the Lord was sleeping." The Pope qualified his statement by the words "seemed that." But still t...