Commentary It was a Christmas Eve long ago. We lived in Alaska, and the late afternoon sky was dark. I was getting dinner and thinking of the holiday “to-dos” still undone. My 5-year-old son was in the kitchen, and I asked him, “Mike, what are you most hoping Santa brings tomorrow?” I smugly thought I’d […]
Effie Caldarola: We must feel unrest to foment change
Commentary My first job out of college was teaching at a Catholic school in a small town. I was at that point in life — barely 22 — when I was questioning my faith. But something about the music and joy of the weekly Masses in the school gym called to me. And the young […]
Effie Caldarola: Graveyards offer reflection, connection
Commentary How do you lose a casket? My friend hasn’t figured that out, but eventually, as Julian of Norwich assures us, all was well. We lived in Alaska then, and my friend’s widowed mother had joined their family there as she aged. She was a lovely woman. Before her final home in Alaska, when she […]
Effie Caldarola: We must recommit to caring for earth
Commentary On a dusky fall evening, I take a walk down a familiar neighborhood street. Ahead of me, a small deer looks my way at the same moment I spot him. Freezing, I realize he’s being followed by seven companions. They dash across the street and disappear into a backyard. I gaze into the yard, […]
Effie Caldarola: The Ignatian way to approach prayer
Commentary Once when I was in Rome with a group from my Jesuit parish, our pastor celebrated Mass for us in the room where St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, died. The building housed his final home and offices, and displayed relics of Ignatius, including the saint’s well-worn shoes. I had greatly anticipated […]
Effie Caldarola: Can we see Jesus in neediest people?
Commentary He gazes from his portrait with steely determination, one eyebrow raised. I look at the picture of my great-grandfather, an exile from the Irish famine, and I lift one eyebrow to match his. I feel close to him, even though he died decades before I was born. I grew up on the family farm […]
Effie Caldarola: Strive to rise above hate, name-calling
Commentary Sidewalk chalk, that staple of summer, is easy to spot on an early morning walk. You may be tempted to start skipping over the loosely drawn squares of some little person’s hopscotch course. Or, since this chalk often comes in pastel hues, it’s hard to create a convincing Elmo, but an artist has given […]
Effie Caldarola: True gratitude is a deeply spiritual act
Commentary One morning, I was half-listening to National Public Radio as I quickly prepared for an appointment. Into the shower, grab the coffee, find the toothbrush and in the midst of this, bits and pieces of the day’s news. Then, “StoryCorps” was playing. An independent nonprofit, StoryCorps exists to let people tell their stories. According […]
Effie Caldarola: Reflect and rejoice before Pentecost
Commentary At Easter morning brunch, one of my daughters brought me a beautiful bouquet of tulips. They were so welcome, and so extraordinary, that I took extra good care of them. I changed their water, recut their stems and used the little packet of powder the florist sent. I placed them where I could see […]
Effie Caldarola: Let us be signs of Christ’s mercy
COMMENTARY As a small child, I was a bit of a religious nerd. I’m not sure why, but I was the oldest child, the only daughter, and our little Catholic mission parish in farm country was central to our lives. From a young age, faith intrigued me. Case in point: I remember taking a toy […]
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