Category Archives: Spiritual

Summer thoughts

Posted on July 20, 2022 by Don Watkins

Most of the folks who are virulently anti LGBTQ are unsure of their own sexuality. I’ve found gay people to be twice gifted with unique contributions to make. Indigenous people in the Americas referred to gay folks as the people … Continue reading →

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Thank you padre!

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Don Watkins

Saw this on Representative Mike Thompson’s Twitter feed this morning. Mike Thompson represents California’s 5th Congressional District. This letter from a Catholic Priest friend says it all about Arch Bishop Cordileone’s latest misguided decision: “Bishops, priests, etc. are neither the … Continue reading →

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Thoughts from Matthew Fox

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Don Watkins

I’m a regular reader of Fr. Matthew Fox’s Daily Meditations and todays was particularly insightful. You may enjoy it too.

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Why?

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Don Watkins

Today I attended Mass at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church on Main Street in Amherst, New York. The church was packed and the service was lovely. For much of this week I have had the recurring thought of the mission of … Continue reading →

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A story that needs telling

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Don Watkins

I’ve been reading The 1619 Project. It’s an enlightening book. The author describes plantations as work camps. I’ve never thought of Monticello, Mount Vernon and the like in the same light as Ravensbruck and Birkenau but they were. Enslaved African … Continue reading →

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Soft and Supple

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Don Watkins

Acceptance is the key to life. Those who cannot change cannot survive. Those who can wear masks and get vaccinated are likely to flourish in our new environment. As I sat watching a basketball game at St. Bonaventure University’s Reilly … Continue reading →

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If you are wondering…

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Don Watkins

I first saw this quote from a framed poster at Mount Irenaeus over twenty years ago. It’s as meaningful now as it was then. In fact I find myself more and more attracted to solitude the older I get. Sitting … Continue reading →

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Literally true?

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Don Watkins

I’m listening to a book by Neil deGrasse Tyson on astrophysics. It’s extremely interesting and mostly over my head. Last year I took a course on “The Bible and Science.” It was a Christian college and though the professor was … Continue reading →

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A war on their bodies

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Don Watkins

Yesterday I listened to the words of a young woman in Texas who eloquently spoke of the war on women’s bodies being waged by elected officials in Texas and elsewhere who are severely limiting the right of women to choose … Continue reading →

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Rethinking religion

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Don Watkins

Today’s edition of The Guardian had a lead article about how the religious right is fueling the decline of religion in America. I think that’s true but it goes deeper than that. While observing the Easter Vigil on Saturday night … Continue reading →

Posted in Franciscan, Spiritual | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment