Mary Marrocco

Ann’s father was dying. Her pastor’s compassion unlocked something inside her, and she found herself talking to him about the pain of her marriage. Now a decade old, it had always been unhappy.

Recovering from illness, Stan was not well enough to return to work, but sufficiently well to take interest in life—and feel guilty through doing less than usual.

Should a spouse expect to know what the other spouse says in confession? Some, whether from anxiety, past hurts or other reasons, feel aggrieved at not being told.

My mother liked to recall walking to Midnight Mass under the moon on the cold, clear December night when, for the first time in history, people were “up” there. That Christmas Eve, three humans circled the moon 10 times, broadcasting back home a reading from the book of Genesis.

James and his friend Al went out for coffee. James found himself telling Al that he couldn’t get back to where he’d been before his wife died three years earlier. Work helped him keep going, as did his kids, friends and parish. He was praying, exercising and volunteering — but he felt worse instead of better, lost and uncertain. Nothing seemed to fit anymore.

To listen to a young child babbling as children love to do, wanting to be heard, needing and learning to speak, is to hear the oft-repeated words: mama, dada (or baba).

What is spirituality? It’s a word used so variously that defining it can seem like pinning a cloud to the wall. In Christianity, spirituality has a clear meaning. It refers to living a relationship.

Moving day, for most of us, might not be our favourite. Usually full of chaos and hard work, stress and mess, it’s something we put up with rather than look forward to.

As with the disciples who walked the earth with Jesus, belonging to Him means belonging to each other — and this raises unavoidable questions, from who gets to be in charge, to what to do when somebody starts stealing. Even with Christ at the centre, it’s not easy to be a community.