With all of the rhetoric regarding immigrants in our political debates, images of welcoming the gifts of strangers has been playing in my psychic cinema. Real people, coming from other countries, have made a difference to me and my congregation. The marquee of my psychic cinema reads: "Resilience and Reconciliation Brings Renewed Energy."

"The things of the soul must always be considered as plentiful, spacious and large; to do so is not an exaggeration. The soul is capable of much more than we can imagine, and the sun that is in this royal chamber shines in all parts. Whoever does not grow, shrinks."

Many of our friends and family back home in the U.S. and continental Europe think that founding a Cistercian monastery on the island of Tautra in Norway is taking a bit too literally Jesus' command to go out to the ends of the Earth.

"Oh, I wait for those daffy smiles that let me know spring is really coming!"

"In a world with many crosses, we believe in the One who raised Jesus from the Dead."

"Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear."

"This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

Three Stats and a Map - North Korea is the latest country to have developed nuclear weapons, but the problem is larger than any isolated example. All nuclear weapons are deathly dangerous to our planet — they are tools that could very literally destroy the world.

The Triduum, the shortest liturgical season, has always held a special place in my heart. This is especially true of Good Friday. Good Friday was always an emotionally charged day during which I focused a great deal on my sinfulness and weaknesses in gratitude for the mercy of God. And while the Triduum, and Good Friday specifically, still hold a place of prominence in my heart, the focus has shifted in the past several years.