A touching moment in today’s news: the Medal of Honor award was given to one James C. McCloughan, a former army medic who saved the lives of ten members of his platoon in Vietnam and risked his life in “acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.” At one point he ran 100 meters through heavy fire to carry an injured person to safety. With complete disregard for personal safety, he kept rescuing soldiers even after he himself was wounded. It was recounted that while he was carrying his comrades in arms to safety, McCloughan prayed. He promised God that if it was God’s will for him to live through that trial, the first thing he would do as soon as he was able, was to tell his father that he loved him, a promise he fulfilled again and again throughout the rest of his father’s life. Continue reading “To Give and Not Count the Cost: St. Ignatius and the Good Soldier” →

Pope Francis recently admitted, “I have felt used by fake friends.” According to him, people he has only met once or twice have come out of the woodwork, falsely claiming close alliances with him, for self-serving reasons. Have you ever felt used by someone?
Continue reading “True Friendship” →

September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Most of all this day is a reminder that sorrow, however deep, can offer great and noble purpose, even beauty, if transformed into compassion and resolve.

In W.B. Yeats’ poem, “The Cloak, The Boat and The Shoes,” the speaker asks,

‘What do you make so fair and bright?’
‘I make the cloak of Sorrow:
O lovely to see in all men’s sight
Shall be the cloak of Sorrow,
In all men’s sight.’
Continue reading “Our Lady of Sorrows” →

This blog is named for that which sustains in the wilderness. There are many readings themed around heaven-sent food. Continue reading “Give Us This Day” →

Earlier this summer, Desert Bread paid homage to the birth of St. John the Baptist. Today’s post honors his passion.

There is no work of art depicting John the Baptist that is more compelling than today’s featured art by Caravaggio, and Peter Gabriel’s “Washing of the Water” is a profoundly fitting song for today’s theme.

The featured poem is one of my favorites that I have ever written and it imagines how Salome, whose dark request sentenced the Baptist to death, might have been transformed by John’s death the way others were transformed by his life. Continue reading “The Passion of St. John the Baptist” →

What is true hospitality? Cooking, cleaning, and serving are important, but most important is listening: making a guest feel heard.

Today is the feast of St. Martha, who labored while her sister listened to Christ. How often we relate to Martha! And yet Christ guides Martha, summoning her to choose “the better part,” as Mary did. Continue reading “True Hospitality” →

Today is a national holiday that many people simply haven’t heard of – Parent’s Day (also, International Children’s Day!)

Held on the fourth Sunday of every July, Parent’s Day’s roots are an outgrowth of Korean Confucianism, where respect for one’s elders is a cherished ideal.

My recent article published by Motherly describes some fun ways to celebrate Parent’s Day, and the parental journey — a pilgrimage that truly can be a great act of faith. Continue reading “National Parent’s Day” →

Today is the feast of St. James, Apostle. One of the “Sons of Thunder,” along with St. John, this son of Zebedee is the patron saint of Spain.

St. James’ remains are interred at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The pilgrimage by foot or bicycle to Santiago de Compostela is known as “the way”. A symbol of St. James is the scallop shell, and this has also become a symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago. Continue reading “Walking the Way Wherever We Are” →

Today is the feast of Mary Magdalene: “Apostle to the Apostles,” as St. Augustine called her. This saint had the courage and loyalty to remain at the foot of the cross and was the first to testify to the resurrection. As she lingered near the tomb, weeping, she heard a voice speak her name. At first, she thought the person who spoke her name was the gardener, then realized it was her beloved “Rabbouni,” or teacher.

How often do we mistakenly view the sacred as something seemingly ordinary? Continue reading “The Magdalene” →

The month of July is the home of many saint’s feast days. July 3rd is the feast of St. Thomas, Apostle. Saint Thomas is known for his incredulity, for his statement, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (Jn 20:25)

Today’s song, “Water,” by PJ Harvey sings of walking on water, one of the famous miracles witnessed by the apostles which is the embodiment of faith: to set foot on the sea in the presence of God, confidently taking strides, one’s strong faith defying human reason that one ought to immediately start to sink. Continue reading “Let Us Also Go” →

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title signifying Mary’s role as Patronness of the Carmelite Order. This feast is also known as the “scapular feast.”

The brown scapular is a sacramental that was given to an early Carmelite named St. Simon Stock, signifying the wearer’s devotion to Mary and granting a special blessing to the wearer.
Continue reading “Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel” →

It’s summer, that time of year that naturally lends itself to leaning over rows of basil and zucchini, weeding beds of colorful annuals, and filling vases with bright blooms pruned from hydrangeas. Gardening is the kind of activity that allows the mind to find peace from its constant darting thoughts as the body takes on a prayerful posture, kneeling over herbs and blossoms. It is a meditative and sensory experience to feel one’s fingers in the cool soil even as the hot sun warms one’s arms and shoulders.

As stray grasses and branches are pulled, and branches pruned, one may physically snip away at the elusive, emotional struggles of life: grief, anxiety, fear, anger: Continue reading “Gardening As Prayer” →