James Martin on Mary
I am a fan of James Martin. Here's his piece from Slate called "Hail Mary."
He starts:
It's tough to relate to someone who's supposed to be God's mom, isn't it?Read the rest here.
It's tough to relate to someone who's supposed to be God's mom, isn't it?Read the rest here.
May he serve as a model for us as we consider giving not only to our friends and relatives, but to all who are in need.Perhaps the best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather than see them forced into prostitution, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man’s window on three separate occasions, thus enabling the daughters to be married. Over the centuries, this particular legend evolved into the custom of gift-giving on the saint’s feast. In the English-speaking countries, St. Nicholas became, by a twist of the tongue, Santa Claus—further expanding the example of generosity portrayed by this holy bishop.
I would add "smile" to the list. Smiling and acknowledging someone you pass on a sidewalk or supermarket aisle makes the world a little friendlier.Here are ten little gestures, all of them easily within our grasp, that can spread goodwill in our own communities, as well as increase our own sense of mindfulness about the people around us and our relationship to them.