Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel (Matthew 3:1-12) we listen to a most unpleasant prophet, John the Baptist. John the Baptist is not a popular figure…
Several times in Treats for the Soul over the last few years I have told a memorable story that occurred when I was just 26-years old. I was a newly-ordained…
Twenty-two days from today is Christmas Day!! The day that changed life forever on Planet Earth! You would never know that Christmas was only three weeks away if you turned…
It is a story that taxes our imagination—this story of God taking human flesh, of God becoming one with us. Who but God would choose to enter human life in…
In a wonderfully challenging book, The Four Things That Matter Most, Dr. Ira Byock, a leading palliative care physician who works with the dying, submits that there are four things we need…
Today, the First Sunday of Advent, is the only Sunday in Advent when we will hear the voice of Jesus (Matthew 24:37-44). St. John the Baptist will be talking the…
We are all familiar with Psalm 23, “The Lord is My Shepherd”. Hopefully we pray it often and we meditate upon its words….. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall…
Today, the day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday with all the sales and all the shopping that goes on. We all savor a bargain. We fill our home…
When the Pilgrims gathered for that first Thanksgiving in 1621, they had almost nothing — yet they celebrated as if they had everything. Their gratitude did not depend on what…
If the Pilgrims could speak to us today, they would not recognize our technology, our cities, or the speed of our lives. But they would recognize something far deeper: the…
According to Dr. Michael Brickley, a psychologist who focuses on issues related to aging, more and more senior citizens are living healthy and active lives into their 80’s, 90’s, and…
“The Star-Spangled Banner” was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812, after he witnessed the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry following a 25-hour British bombardment. The…
Some time ago I came across an article that featured e-mails from soldiers in war zones to family members back home. The one that touched me the most was sent…
Correction: I typed a mistake on yesterday’s Daily Treat, THE NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED. Henri Nouwen and Cardinal Joseph Bernardin both died in 1996. My typo had them dying 30…
