☊ Among all the natural wonders that our world has to offer, one that never fails to capture my imagination is the return of the sun above the Arctic Circle around this time of year. Just a couple weeks ago–January 23 to be exact–the sun peaked from behind the horizon for about an hour, the fist time it had done so since November 18. For the inhabitants of that frigid region on our globe, that’s 66 days without a sunrise....
☊ I was rummaging through my pile of National Geographic magazines the other day (if you’ve ever been a subscriber, chances are you have a pile too) and an issue jumped out at me. Its was a 2016 issue commemorating the centennial year of the National Park Service. Each issue published that year featured articles and photography focused on the preservation of America’s “treasured wild places.” The iconic image that comes to mind for me, and for most, I would imagine, when you think of one of these wild place , is Yosemite Valley in California....
Last month my son, Luke, and I travelled to Oregon to visit his godmother, Karen. Karen is a priest, and is a treasured seminary classmate of mine; we were formed as Christians and as clergy together. Although we haven’t visited in person often, we have kept in touch regularly over the years through Zoom and by holding each other and our families in prayer. Karen has had a difficult few years....
I hope you were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather earlier this week. I found myself with an open couple of days after the busyness of Christmas and the new year, and decided to put together an impromptu camping trip. Winter camping in Arkansas is just about the best kind there is. The cool temperature during the day makes for nice hiking, and the near-freezing nights can make for ideal sleeping conditions (if your sleeping bag is up to snuff, of course)....
There is a story that has been trying to work its way into one of my homilies for awhile now, and I think today may just be the day for it. The event that I’m going to recall for you actually happened a couple years ago, right during the height of the pandemic. You remember how it was. No one exactly knew how to interact socially. We weren’t hugging or shaking hands, and awkward nods or waves were the best we could manage as we attempted keep our germs to ourselves....