
Prayers Unspoken
Sometimes icons, symbols, nature, and art can take us where words cannot.
Find what you’re looking for

Sometimes icons, symbols, nature, and art can take us where words cannot.

“I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!” wrote Henri Nouwen. Without the assistance of grace, there is not much over which we willingly surrender control.

There is a long history of praying the rosary for a variety of causes. Many people have prayed for peace, for life, for healing, even

St. José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (1840-1914) improved the lives of his parishioners in rural Argentina through construction not only of retreat centers and schools, but also roadways and aqueducts.

One of the fundamental laws of human life and of the spiritual life is that the measure we give to others will be the measure we will receive.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that God’s kingdom looks different from our guest list. All are invited—east and west, north and south. The real question is not who gets in, but whether we’re living as if the door is open to everyone.

Not everyone is easy to love. But love isn’t always about agreement or affection—it’s about dignity. Sometimes we need our love to help us with how we walk and interact with others.

When we say a rosary, we know that the repetition upon the beads calms us down, brings solace and peace. Today, rediscover the simple words of the Hail Mary prayer, and how wonderful it is that when we say a rosary we ask Mary to pray for us–50 times.

In the Book of Job, a lot is made out of that whirlwind that comes at the end, but very little is made out of the fact that the book begins with another whirlwind—the one that destroys his crops, wealth, and, finally, his children.

Sometimes a spiritual life can feel stagnant and dry. The ways we are used to connect to God seem to no longer work. Maybe it is not so much that God is far away but we need to instead rediscover God in new ways, experiences, ways of prayer.