Minute Meditations

The psalms repeatedly encourage us to tell the truth of how hard life can be.

Sometimes, in the challenges of our lives, we can feel far from God’s help. 

Jesus’s frequent refrain—“Do not be afraid”—should be our mantra of discipleship.

What makes a son good is not what he says to his father, but what he does after the fact by working in the fields (Matthew 21:28–31).

Penance, poverty, humility and compassion were the values that forged Francis into a “cosmic brother,” one who was related to all creatures and to the elements of creation.

The Franciscan path to God is an inversion of monastic values. Rather than fleeing the world to find God, God is to be found in the world. The idea that “the world is our cloister” finds its root in Francis ...