Living Grace

Between the ages of twelve and sixteen, I essentially raised myself. Though I relished my freedom, I often felt overwhelmed by the many tasks it took to manage my life. The summer before my junior year of high school, a priest arranged for me to live with a loving and...

Many years ago I had the privilege of spending time with an individual I considered to be enlightened. At the end of our conversation, he asked if I had any questions. Of course, I asked him a rather complicated, philosophically oriented question. He replied, "Don't...

Early on in the development of the Franciscan Order, the bishop of Assisi closed down Francis' entire operation. Being humble of spirit, Francis did not protest. He decided to go to Rome to ask the pope's permission to live out what Jesus had envisioned for himself...

It is hard to define purity, but we know it when we see it. When I first met our dear Swami Nirvanananda, I knew that I was in the presence of purity. His eyes were clear; his smile, genuine; his presence, warm; his words, sincere; and his soul, translucent. As I have...

One Christmas, a disciple of Yogananda's gave him a squirt gun as a present. Saying nothing, Yogananda tucked the gift within the folds of his swami's robe. For weeks afterwards he gleefully went about squirting many of his followers. Though he was a great saint,...

Monday: At this time in our collective culture we can safely say that the forces of chaos have taken center stage. We can look at our current world and national situation in one of two ways: there is no rhyme or reason to the chaos, or, the chaos is paving the...