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I was first introduced to Thomas Merton's writings by my friend Ken when we were both working for Catholic New York newspaper many years ago. Ken's knowledge of ...

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My pastor started his homily last Sunday by talking about a priest who used to get annoyed by all the constant interruptions that kept him from his work. That ...

When Dennis and I first started dating, after being friends for a while, everything about us seemed in sync. We often said the exact same thing at the exact ...

Here's my latest Life Lines column:By all appearances, I am a glass-is-half-empty kind of person. Something as simple as a burned pot of tomato sauce or a ...

My post at OSV Daily Take today:All Souls' Day is a favorite day of mine on the Church calendar. That comes across as morbid to some folks, but it's anything ...

Back when I was a kid, I would read from my Picture Book of Saints (that very one up there) every night before bed, and I would imagine that some day I could be ...

That's my crew before trick or treating. I should have taken an after shot. They were completely soaked. A very soggy Halloween night.Mindful eating update: I ...

I am starting a new weekly (I hope) blog event where I'll use every Friday to link to an outstanding post on someone else's blog. So often I read great stuff on ...

I recently had the privilege of talking with author Anne Rice for an OSV In Focus section on the current vampire craze. Rice's penchant for all things undead ...

In honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, I thought I'd run a recent column I wrote about one of my favorite saints:Out in my perennial garden, nestled ...

Here's my September 'Life Lines' column:I recently had an opportunity to go on a Boy Scout camping trip with my son, Noah, who is within a stone’s throw of ...

I remember exactly where I was eight years ago this morning, as we watched our world change forever. Standing in my bedroom, putting away laundry as my son, ...

Obviously, considering I haven't posted in more than a week, Not Strictly Spiritual is on a brief hiatus. I just can't keep up with the work deadlines, kids at ...

Earlier this week, I posted about the possibility that Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks, is one step closer to canonization. Well, today I ...

Here's my August Life Lines column:My brother and sister and I used to joke about the fact that when we were kids, our family went back to the same Wildwood ...

So I spent three days (actually a little more) at Boy Scout camp last week, and lived to tell the tale. And a happy tale at that, even with "semi-open" latrines ...

When I came downstairs for coffee this morning, I announced: "I'm on edge today. I don't know why." And I didn't, but I knew something was off. There was a ...

Sorry for lagging behind on the blog posts lately. It's just that we've finally got some good weather (two-day stretch of sun, which is a big deal this summer) ...

--1--Why is it that our eating habits tend to get better or worse according to our stress levels? Well, at least mine do. The whole eating thing intrigues me, ...