John McCarthy, SJ, is Socius to the Provincial, director of formation, and doing research and writing in ecology.
48 posts
Before you enter St. Peter's Basilica you must pass through St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro). It's a magnificent elliptical space (240 metres wide) constructed during the pontificates of Alexander VII and Clement IX (1657-1667). Colonnades embrace the square and all who enter....
A favourite picture is one of myself as a child nestled in the arms of my 26-year old mother. My Madonna image. I am pre-occupied with my small peaked cap, while my Mom beams in the direction of the photographer. My Mom was a physical beauty - I'm sure that you've noticed the family resemblance. I'm now twice as old as my mother was in that photo. Where have the years gone?...
One of my most favourite lines in Scripture is John 20:16: "Jesus said to her, "Mary!" With one word, the resurrected Christ transformed the life of Mary Magdalene....
I had to stop and take a second whiff. What was that? Recently, on one of my regular walks to the Spanish Banks, I was sideswiped by an amazing, sweet, spicy aroma. Nothing like Chanel No. 5 or the latest Parisian scent to turn the head or the heart. But this scent emanated from a gorgeous, yellow-floraled shrub called the witch hazel or Hamanelis mollis....
Here I was in the basement of the New Brunswick Museum, surrounded by tall metal cabinets stuffed with all kinds of dried plants, mushrooms and lichens. Down the hallway, jars of lifeless creatures of all kinds adorned the walls from floor to ceiling. Another room was stuffed with massive bones. Wooden crates held their own secret. Mounted birds and mammals watched my every move. The stuffy odour of ages past thickened the air. Aged photos of venerable-looking, bearded men reminded me of the pioneers of New Brunswick natural history....
St. Ignatius was a master of human psychology long before we even knew the term. A favorite spiritual exercise of his is what has come to be known as the Examen. It is a simple, but powerful, daily prayer exercise and goes something like this. At the end of your day, give yourselves about 15 minutes to look over your day with the eyes of faith. Begin with a short prayer of thanksgiving for your life, for the day that has passed. Ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you with the mystery and grace of the day....
Every three weeks or so, I drive to Abbotsford to visit my spiritual director. I enjoy getting out into the valley for a short visit. The 3-hour return trip is well worth it - at least for my soul. My director will usually leave me with a theme or scriptural passage to guide my prayer in the ensuing weeks. This last time he suggested that I focus on the theme of thanksgiving in the context of the Lucan story of the ten lepers. Ten lepers are healed by Jesus, but only one, a Samaritan, we are told, returns to Jesus to give thanks....
With full freedom, I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005. With these sober and canonical words did Pope Benedict XVI resign as Pope on 12 February 2013. Only days ago, I commented to a friend that the Church will be seeking a new Pope in the next 5 years or so. I never thought that I would have to wait only 5 days. There's something moving and stirring about the Pope's resignation....
