I first came across the works of Father Josef Neuner, S.J., in several scholarly articles published in Review for Religious (2001) on interpreting the spiritual journey and darkness of Mother Theresa of Calcutta. In a posthumous collection of her personal letters, Come be My Light (Doubleday 2007), representing her ‘unauthorized’ autobiography, Father Neuner was indeed the spiritual director…
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Complex & Simple, Nature, Places, Posts
Bauhinia Rhapsody X – The Empty Nest
(Mid-Week 47) After a morning of restless cacophony and chorus that ascended into an ethereal crescendo, amidst the hustle and bustle of parents…….. silence, serenity and peace. And the world was indeed a better place that day. (Week 47) A week after the weak chicks cried without a voice, the industry of the parents (and the…
Complex & Simple, Persons, Places, Posts
Qing Ming in Lijiang, Yunnan
We visited the ancient city of Lijiang in Yunnan Province in 2009 and were privileged to partake in a Qing Ming meal in the ancestral home of a Naxi family. The simple but hearty countryside fare was served unceasingly and generously, after which the folks gathered to reminiscence and watch television. The dim dankly room…
Complex & Simple, Nature, Places, Posts
Bauhinia Rhapsody IX – The Relentless March of Creation
(Week 47) A week after the weak chicks cried without a voice, the industry of the parents (and the scale of the grub) and the size of the nestlings have increased exponentially. The parent looks a little worn around the edges, but the pace of creation hurtles along towards the next major milestone – the…
Complex & Simple, Nature, Places, Posts
Bauhinia Rhapsody VIII – Faithful Parents
The parents have emerged, as both take turns to feed the nestlings and to keep the nest warm. Here, a parent keeps a moment of vigilance on surrounding intruders before disappearing into the depths of the well-camouflaged nest in the bush. This is the crucial period for survival – humans can only keep a watchful eye from…
Complex & Simple, Persons, Posts
When Jesus Came to Birmingham – G.A. Studdert Kennedy
When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree, They drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary; They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep, For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap. When Jesus came to…
Complex & Simple, Nature, Places, Posts
Bauhinia Rhapsody VII – Nestlings Alive!
(Week 46) The eggs of Week 45 came alive today(?) on Good Friday. The nestlings were too young (and weak) to even make a sound – but how vigorous were their zest for grub! (Week 45) The bauhinia and orchids continue to bloom in their quiet domains, when the birds come to nest. The diversity and…
Complex & Simple, Persons, Posts
“For if this is what is done to green wood, what will be done when the wood is dry?”
On Palm Sunday, in the Passion Reading of Luke’s Gospel (23:1-49), Jesus makes an analogy to the treatment to Himself with our fragile Earth that is so evocative as to be worthy of a quotation about our environment (23:28-31) But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for…
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Downward Mobility
The late Dean Brackley, S.J., challenges us in this quote: “I invite you to discover your vocation in downward mobility. It’s a scary request… The world is obsessed with wealth and security and upward mobility and prestige. But let us teach solidarity, walking with the victims, serving and loving. I offer this for you to…
Complex & Simple, Nature, Places, Posts
Bauhinia Rhapsody VI – The Nestlings (A Safe Place)
(Week 45) The bauhinia and orchids continue to bloom in their quiet domains, when the birds come to nest. The diversity and cacophony of the dawn chorus and evensong is transformed into the persistent urgent shrills of hungry nestlings and their affectionate parents……… and immediately, we know there and then – there is life. (Week 42) The Bauhinias…