During this Lenten season, a time when we are called to a deeper conversion of heart, the words of Kathleen Norris, a great spiritual writer from the Benedictine tradition, echoes the Salesian spirit. We make such a fuss about seeking God. We are anxious about so many things, and faith, prayer, and searching for God are not excepted. Are we
The spiritual stature of a person’s life is measured by love, which in the end remains “the criterion for the definitive decision about a human life’s worth or lack thereof” (Pope Benedict, Deus Caritas Est, 2005) . Yet some unbelievers think that it consists in the imposition of their own ideologies upon everyone else, or in a violent defense of
It is inconceivable to realize that we are approaching a one-year anniversary since the beginning of this global pandemic crisis, which has infiltrated into our society endless amounts of fear, anxiety, social distress, emotional fatigue, sickness, and overwhelming incidents of death rates across all social strata. COVID-19 has been an unthinkable global crisis of our century, which has derailed every
Humility is one of the core values of our dear DeSales University. Humility calls the disciple to give thanks for the grace of God that creates, sustains, and moves us forward to love. The pandemic (COVID-19) helped me realize that the things, events, and people I used to take for granted were, in fact, channels of God’s graces to me. It
I treated a legend in the hospital two weeks ago, and last week that legend died. His name was John Chaney. John was the Temple University men’s basketball coach for 24 years. I have long admired him as a coach, teacher, and civil rights activist. He followed the Salesian philosophy of identifying one’s God-given gifts, working to improve them, and
Several months ago, I suffered a personal tragedy that affected me very deeply. We all experience tragedy in our lives from time-to-time, and while we do our best to move forward, we sometimes struggle along the path. As a healthcare professional in the critical care environment, I observe tragedy in the lives of my patients and their families quite frequently.
One of the core values of DeSales University is gratitude, where we are encouraged to give thanks for the many amazing gifts, including the family, community, faith, and love that God has provided for us. Over these past months, it was often difficult to feel appreciative as many challenges and disappointments arose. That is not to say that I was
As a practicing physical therapist for over twenty years, caring for individuals recovering from neurological disease has been one of the greatest blessings and sources of inspiration in my life. My patients have come to me to learn how to walk again, to gain strength, or to be able to take care of themselves and their families as they did
In the last 10 months since COVID-19 changed our world, I have learned so much. I learned how to draw, learned some Italian, and reluctantly learned a few TikTok dances, courtesy of my 15-year-old niece. The most important thing by far has been learning the true importance of relationships. The pandemic has challenged me to reevaluate exactly what they mean
Yesterday, we learned of the tragic death of Matthew Hammerstone, 21, a senior criminal justice major who was greatly respected by his classmates and faculty. Those who knew and loved him are heartsick. Those who didn’t are saddened at the death of a bright young man whose life has ended before its full potential began to blossom. We give thanks