Pause+Pray

Whenever we have serious conflict in our relationships with family, friends, or coworkers, it’s tempting to demonize the other person or even sever the relationship. Even in the best relationships, however, there are moments of rupture.

St. Catherine of Siena didn't let her limitations or other obstacles get in the way of God’s plan. Her writings paint a powerful picture of God’s love for us.

When headlines of injustice weigh us down, where do we turn? This week,  I had a conversation with a dear friend about the state of the world, and we ended up agreeing about the power of the Serenity Prayer:

Long distances can lead to ignorance of civil unrest, hunger, natural disasters. Though far away, all the globe's peoples are brothers and sisters to us.

How often do you find that after several minutes of trying to pray, your mind has wandered to topics other than God? Do you grow angry with yourself and give up, or do you push on in those moments?

In our opulent era, many of us have become accustomed to acquiring more money, more prestige, more power, more material comforts. Poverty, in its figurative and literal sense, is societally scorned.