Seek out a new (or not so new) acquaintance’s story [for Lent]. When we hear the narrative of someone else’s life, we learn fresh ways that God moves through our lives and connects all our stories to God’s own. And, when we become closer to a person by knowing more about them, the door of our heart opens a bit wider, and we catch a new glimpse of God’s image....

As stewards of God’s creation, we must do our part to improve the health of our environment and its inhabitants. While recycling is very worthwhile for metal, glass and paper, at least 91% of all plastic will end up being buried, burned, or in our oceans and waterways. We can shift away from our throw-away culture by...

Create something [for Lent]. You don’t even need formal materials for this. Gather what’s near at hand, give thanks for these supplies, and wait for them to present themselves to you in new, combined forms. This kind of prayer allows us to celebrate the goodness of the created world and get a glimpse into the divine imagination...

In a March 17, 2025, statement, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) cited estimates that the number of undocumented persons living in this country who came as children exceeds three million. For a majority of these Dreamers, the ...

The MMOC Contemplative Core team invites you to an exploration of the foundations of Christian life: Living the Trinitarian Life - A Dance of Love presented by Deacon Bob Smerek Join together with Deacon Bob as we examine the meaning of the life of the Trinity, and discuss practical applications of the Trinitarian dynamic for daily living. Two sessions will be held: A Lenten "Dance" on March 29, 2025, 10-11:30 AM...

As has been noted in our weekly bulletin, the movie “Romero” is being shown Sunday afternoon, March 23, at 3:00 p.m. in the parish hall. Archbishop St. Oscar Romero was...

A group of nine U.S. bishops will lead a nine-day prayer service for migrants and refugees in an online series from March 14-22, overlapping the feasts of St. Patrick and St. Joseph, traditionally observed by Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants...

Laura Stephens Reed of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship offers more suggestions for entering into contemplation during Lent: Move your body. Sometimes I am most amenable to the Spirit’s whisperings when I am moving just enough to quiet my mind. Walking or repetitive motions often ...

Last week, MMOC parishioners distributed a booklet about Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU) and their work during 2024. MMOC is a congregation member, along with over 30 area congregations of many faith traditions. MCU identifies its core issue work: environmental justice, campaigning to ensure equal protection from environmental and health hazards; breaking the ...

Laura Stephens Reed of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship offers these suggestions for entering into contemplation during Lent (and reminds us that the Spirit’s wisdom can be found in many places)! Pray with your eyes open. Celebrate beauty of all kinds. Ask for God’s help where you see struggle. This prayer could be as you are...

One cannot always meditate, but one can always enter into inner prayer, independently of the conditions of health, work, or emotional state. the heart is the place of this quest and encounter, in poverty and in faith. –CCC 2710 ​ The role of place and time in contemplative practice is ...

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), through their Justice for Immigrants initiative, urges Catholics to contact their Congressional members to protect the persecuted. They cite the ...

Did you know that, according to the annual report on homelessness by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 770,000 people were living in shelters or outside in January 2024? This number is up 18% from the 2023 count and is the largest number since HUD began the count in 2007. It is likely...

… One makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up [prayer], no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. -CCC 2710 As part of their Daily Meditations, the Center for Action and Contemplation recently shared an excerpt from theologian Beverly Lanzetta’s book Path of the Heart which...

The choice of the time and duration of the prayer [practice] arises from a determined will, revealing the secrets of the heart. One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter. -CCC 2710 Contemplation itself is a pure grace, a gift of God freely and generously given. It may seem...

World Social Justice Day is February 20, 2025. In 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed this date to promote social justice and raise awareness about worldwide issues such as poverty, gender inequality, unemployment and human rights. The theme for this year’s observance is...

Contemplative prayer seeks him "whom my soul loves (Song of Songs 1:7). It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him… -CCC 2709...

February is Black History Month. This year’s theme, identified by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), is African Americans and Labor, focusing on the various and profound ways that work of all kinds—free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary—intersect with the collective experiences of Black people. Black people’s work has been ...

Though Catholic and Christiam institutions have gone through periods where contemplative prayer has not been emphasized, contemplation nevertheless forms part of the bedrock of a traditional Catholic understanding of prayer. Consider this excerpt from...

One of the central tenets of Christian spirituality (and indeed much non-Christian spirituality, too) is the necessity of dying to self -- that is, the false self that culture, our own egos, and other people claim us to ...