Fifty years ago, the historian Lynn White claimed that the roots of the ecological crisis are religious in nature. The primacy of spiritual reality over material reality has led to a mood of indifference with regard to the natural world. Because the roots of the problem are religious, he said, the remedy must be religious as well.

"Self-sustainability is a tough and challenging affair, but venturing into greenhouse farming is one way to ensure we have food and money." 

Every day, hundreds of people walk up and down the Upper Manhattan block of 97th Street just off of Broadway and pass an inconspicuous brown door. They probably never give it a thought or care. But to knock on that door and be greeted by Sr. Mary Petrosky of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary is to enter a warm, welcoming and comfortable space, one that merges the spirit of a convent with a kind of mini-United Nations.

GSR Today - Meditating on the daily liturgical readings sometime during Lent, a daydream about Moses and his staff distracted me. He held it out over the Red Sea and got rid of the water. He hit the rock with it and found water. Wow, a magic wand worthy of a Harry Potter story!

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."

"After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it."

Good Friday — the day we commemorate the execution of Jesus. This year our commemoration reminds me of a quote from Meister Eckert about Christmas. In essence, Eckert asked what good it is for us that Jesus was born 2,000 years ago if he is not also born in us each day — for the Son of God always needs to be born.

See for Yourself - "The Lord turned his head and looked straight at Peter, into whose mind flashed the words that the Lord had said to him …'You will disown me three times before the cock crows today.' And he went outside and wept bitterly."

After decades doing peace work, seeking truth and reconciliation for Canada's indigenous people, and in short-term healing work with communities in Africa, Service Sr. Mary Ellen Francoeur says her goal is to love in a selfless way.

Last year, Pope Francis issued a decree revising the rules for the traditional foot-washing ritual on Holy Thursday, saying the rite should no longer be limited to men and boys but also include women and girls. A rash of headlines was received with mixed reactions by the Catholic community across the globe. While some individual priests in Kenya long ago adapted the ritual of foot washing to women, others adamantly cling to tradition.