At a team meeting this morning, we discussed the distinction between “listening,” and “listening for”…with the idea being, when we simply “listen,” we meet people where they are. Without judgment, nor pretense. A colleague stated, “listening is at the heart of healthy community.” Amen!

This week I share the below prayer along with the sincere hope for peace in our world. Respect for all begins with an honest embrace of the inherent dignity of each one of us, and through time in dialogue, time in quiet, and time together, may we build bridges and be peace to one another. In prayer and community we can move forward with hope. Blessings on your week ahead!

Emergency Novena for Peace, Justice, & the Protection of Human Dignity

Through the Intercession of Servant of God Dorothy Day.

God of all peoples, Your heart aches for every person who suffers.

You are near to the brokenhearted and close to those crushed by injustice.

We bring before You the violence of our time, the fear that grips many communities,

and the despair that tempts us to believe nothing can change.

Through the witness of Servant of God Dorothy Day, stir us from passivity,

move us toward our suffering neighbors, and teach us to love in ways that change the world.

Servant of God Dorothy Day, you chose the way of radical love in a violent world.

You trusted that small acts of faithfulness could reshape history.

You believed every human life mattered.

Intercede for us.

Pray that our nation may be healed of cruelty.

Pray that fear may not have the final word.

Pray that we may become builders of peace,

even when peace feels impossible.

Help us to live the Gospel with integrity, to love without conditions, and to seek justice without ceasing.

God of mercy, receive the prayers we have placed before You.

Hold close those who are suffering.

Protect those who are in danger.

Strengthen those who labor for peace.

Remain with us in the days ahead.

Do not let our hearts grow hard or our hope grow thin.

Make us instruments of Your compassion in a wounded world.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

This week marked the third anniversary of the passing of Zenmaster, Poet and Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. In recent years I’ve come to appreciate him as an example of inner strength. I hope this quote and video remind us of the peace within us. Blessings on your week ahead!

“We don’t need to wish our friends, ‘peace be with you.’ Peace is already with them. We only need to help them cultivate the habit of touching peace in every moment.” Thich Nhat Hanh

I am grateful to be home and settling into the new rhythm of a new year. My morning workout at the YMCA reminded me of the richness of everyday activity and everyday people. Following some wonderful holiday time with family near and far, my kids and I are all eager for the return to our friends at school and at work…blessings on your week ahead!

A Prayer for 2026

This year. This space. This wonder. This grace.

All gifted from the heart of God. For you. For me.

Our world is wonder. Our world is worry.

Both are made Holy by prayer and gratitude.

Let us encircle each other with kindness, understanding and mercy.

Let “Deo Gratias” be our new year prayer.

-adapted from Sr. Joyce Weller, DC.

Today is a new day, a day you’ve never lived before. Perhaps each little act of love can be like a note in a symphony. Perhaps each loving choice can become part of a harmony, a song to give God praise. With every new chance to love, say yes to blessing God’s name.

—Excerpted from 2026: A Book of Grace-Filled Days by Julia Walsh

Knowledge is fostered by curiosity; wisdom is fostered by awe. Awe precedes faith; it is the root of faith. We must be guided by awe to be worthy of faith. 
—Abraham Joshua Heschel

My recent travels have afforded me the gift of time to reflect, broadened perspective through the differing experiences and cultures of others, and an enhanced appreciation for the life I live and the gift of community that abounds within and around me. I treasure this gift of awareness and seek to integrate it into my daily flurry of life activities, personal and professional demands, and spiritual ups and downs. Perhaps this is my life journey.

Blessings on your holiday weeks ahead!

The Gift of Generosity

Gratitude and generosity coexist within us. We cannot nurture one without building up the other. Each quality shapes our mindset about and our posture toward being in this world. Resentment and selfishness grow in an environment of fear, unfreedom, and the perception that there is not enough—of anything—for everyone. Gratitude and generosity grow in an environment of faith and freedom. These virtues are honest responses to a world that brims over with God’s love for us.

—Excerpted from “Gratitude Leads to Generosity” by Vinita Hampton Wright

The Gift of Second Chances Today is a new day, a day you’ve never lived before. Perhaps each little act of love can be like a note in a symphony. Perhaps each loving choice can become part of a harmony, a song to give God praise. With every new chance to love, say yes to blessing God’s name. —Excerpted from 2026: A Book of Grace-Filled Days by Julia Walsh