Tag: Bishop Robert Barron

He May Be A Complete Unknown, but Dylan’s Spiritual Heart Still Sings to Me

~ Peggy Haslar

The biopic A Complete Unknown may bring Bob Dylan’s music to a new generation, but I wish it had given at least a nod in the direction of Dylan's spiritual side. While Timothée Chalomet evokes Dylan's enigmatic persona impressively, one doesn’t feel particularly drawn to the young Bob Dylan, but rather to Pete Seeger, endearingly … Continue reading He May Be A Complete Unknown, but Dylan’s Spiritual Heart Still Sings to Me

Learning to Love in the Great Crowd that Can’t be Numbered

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 4 Comments

Back in 1927 Dorothy Day, a passionate social activist who was beginning to awaken spiritually, attended a Catholic Mass. Noting the presence of every strata of society gathered for worship in the same place, Day was especially impressed "by the egalitarian and inclusive way people gathered for the liturgy," writes Bishop Robert Barron. What impressed … Continue reading Learning to Love in the Great Crowd that Can’t be Numbered

“Joy to the World” – Not a Carol, but a Psalm?

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 2 Comments

Advent's simple candles and starry nights temper December's brisk pace. If we let them, they restore us to better rhythms of prayer. The melancholy yet hopeful tones of traditional Advent hymns, especially "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" have prepared hearts for Christmas for centuries and they never fail to help my weary heart find that … Continue reading “Joy to the World” – Not a Carol, but a Psalm?

Uncentered: How Adam and Eve Reveal the Truth about You, Me and the Middle Tree

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 2 Comments

I feel as if I've read the first three chapters of Genesis a zillion times. As a young adult I read the Bible through each year, starting with Genesis. Then I began following the lectionary, which leads us through the Scriptures every three years. That's a much more meditative pace, but Genesis 1-3 is so … Continue reading Uncentered: How Adam and Eve Reveal the Truth about You, Me and the Middle Tree

Why Peace is my Word of the Year

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 3 Comments

I’ve struggled with it. I sometimes suspect that the word peace is used to shush rightful responses to real harm. I’m tempted to think peace is for reality deniers. And besides, being a broken human, I certainly can’t live peace. Can I? This month as I pondered a word for the year, “peace” kept rising … Continue reading Why Peace is my Word of the Year

Dante’s Divine Comedy: Links to Lead You through History’s Greatest Poem

~ Peggy Haslar

“Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself in a dark wilderness, for I had wandered from the straight and true." These, the opening lines of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy (Anthony Esolen translation) speak to the inner journey of the soul. They confront us with the voice of a man who knows … Continue reading Dante’s Divine Comedy: Links to Lead You through History’s Greatest Poem

How to Remove the Speck in Your Neighbor’s Eye

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 2 Comments

With lights dimmed and screen illuminated in my optometrist's examination room, he and I review my latest retinal scan, one eye at at time. My eye appears as an orange globe networked with a map of red blood vessels. The scan allows him to detect signs of early eye disease, tears in the retina and … Continue reading How to Remove the Speck in Your Neighbor’s Eye

Arguing Religion and the Search Engine of the Soul

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 6 Comments

I used to teach the art of argument to college freshmen. We read classic texts on the great questions of the centuries and debated our views in passionate discussion laced with laughter and an occasional angry flare. Students then constructed written arguments clarifying their thought and defending their positions. Essay by essay, they honed their … Continue reading Arguing Religion and the Search Engine of the Soul

Lamenting Notre Dame’s Losses: “Heaven in Stone and Glass”

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 2 Comments

When I heard, on Tuesday of Holy Week, that Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in flames, I immediately texted my oldest son, the family's intrepid world traveler who had just returned from Paris and had visited Notre Dame only days before. (We differ philosophically, but he graciously allowed me to share his photos in this … Continue reading Lamenting Notre Dame’s Losses: “Heaven in Stone and Glass”

Conversion of a Candle in the Wind: The Woman at the Well and Me

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 2 Comments

On the surface my life seems more stable than hers. One husband, not five.  But I understand the Woman at the Well.  My heart is insatiable and wanders in all directions. I fall in love all the time, becoming passionately absorbed with pretty much anything or anyone. A new friend, a big idea, a chance for … Continue reading Conversion of a Candle in the Wind: The Woman at the Well and Me