We are afraid: afraid that our questioning will lead to spiritual cataclysm, that once the camel’s skeptical nose gets under the tent flap, the whole shabby edifice of our faith will collapse.

Amid the pain and suffering, God remains present in our hearts. No matter how much we wail and shake our fists, He will abide with us.

We need not see prayer as activity for a solo operator only.

His point was that a mundane action, carried out in a disciplined way, can be transformative. So it is with prayer.

Dec. 10, Second Saturday of Advent

A child cannot be grasped, like an object. A child can only be caressed, which is to touch without possessing.