Enter, a Good Samaritan
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
May 16, 2024
Compassionate God, thank you for giving us a capacity to care and to come to another’s aid.
Posts from:
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD, is an English professor and chair of the department of liberal arts at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is also the author of four books, including Life after Death: Practical Help for the Widowed (Franciscan Media).
Finding Delight amid the Gloom
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
May 1, 2024
This morning I read the opening lines of a poem by Jack Gilbert: “Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere.” But the poem, “A Brief for the Defense,” gracefully moves on: “. . . we enjoy our lives because that’s what God wants. . . . We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,/but not delight.”
Finding Grace
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
November 3, 2023
Sit for a few minutes with this quote from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: “Contemplate how you are being asked to give your heart to God amidst everyday activities. Be prepared to meet your grace in every circumstance of life.”
Sprinkles of Joy
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
October 19, 2023
Reflect One of my nightly rituals is checking my email to find messages from my husband, their subject lines indicating they’re from our online local
Judge Not
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
October 8, 2023
Reflect During our archdiocesan restructuring, my parish lost our beloved pastor and gained a different pastor, along with a parochial vicar and retired visiting priests.
Noticing Nature
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
September 19, 2023
Reflect As soon as my sister downloaded a birdsong app to my phone, I was hooked on learning which birds were in the trees near
Helping Teens in Crisis
Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, PhD
August 24, 2023
Data show teens continue to struggle with mental health. Helping to address the problem is a moral obligation and will require support from all of us.