Oblate Program at Belmont Abbey, NC

Tag: Dohle

Looking upward or downward

(Mercy Sunday 2013) Trust is about looking upward and not downward.  What do I mean by that?   Perhaps the main struggle that is faced in the spiritual life is not in the many moral situations what we face, for we all fail, at times we fail in grievous ways, though they may not be thought… Read More ›

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Pain and mercy

  Pain and mercy I often wonder why it is so easy to write about pain, sorrow, struggle, and strife.  I know that there is much of the above in the world, and I would suppose most of us, if perhaps not all, are often part of this drama, that makes up the pain of the… Read More ›

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We are pilgrims on the way

  We are pilgrims on the way A winding down is our lives; roots deepen as  the limbs and foliage slowly wear down and are let go of; our vitality and beauty traded for something else; a look of being worn out from the journey, seeing the end but still taking that one step, then… Read More ›

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My chosen path

My chosen path I was watching on YouTube an episode of “Thinking twice”.  This program host debates, some of which I find very interesting.  I was watching one the other day about science and if it has done away with the need for God.  Both sides were courteous in presenting their points and I enjoyed… Read More ›

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Deeper into hope

Deeper into hope Christ Jesus body lay in darkness, surrounded by the cold  and nothingness of death.  Its grip hard and heavy; seeking to bring Jesus into death’s kingdom, the cessation of hope, love, warmth and true life, is death’s scepter, despair all it has to offer.  So now it is a period of waiting,… Read More ›

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Conversion

When conscious conversion is sought after; the turning away from aspects of oneself that are destructive towards self or others, it leads to humility and empathy, because of the struggle and persistence that is involved.  The road to inner freedom is slow and an often painful process.  Grace is what calls us to begin the… Read More ›

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The connection

Waiting can be exhausting. In care-giving when the end of the journey is in sight, there is a connection with the patient that intensifies. It has nothing to do with the actual work in caring for them. It is deeper, a connection that is forged from possibly years of interaction. In caring for others there… Read More ›

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Parental pain

Last Sunday Tom came up to me and gave me a note. It was from a woman who wanted to speak to me about the loss of her son. From the note I learned that he was only 33 years old and died from cancer. So I started over to the retreat house praying that… Read More ›

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The Splinter

Gossip is so common and is so easily done that those who do it (myself of course included) don’t understand the evil that is committed towards others, until of course they are the victims.  We are all powerless before back stabbing, gossip and talk that can ruin us.  Evil said spreads easily, it can’t be stopped…. it… Read More ›

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Prone to violence

I am a man prone to violence.  All of my life I have swam against this current, though it has often been difficult.  I understand violence; I also understand that there is a part of me that desires love, healing and peace.  I also believe that the so called cosmic war between good and evil is lived out… Read More ›

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