“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going”

We were created (called and commanded) to care for the vulnerable

Ready to walk the labyrinth of Lent? Let’s go.

1. Join us tomorrow to get ready for Lent with a free virtual retreat: Walking Through Lent & Holy Week from the Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College. Register here to join live or get the recordings later. You can also check out the video I made with a favorite prayer by Thomas Merton: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. 

2. Tomorrow is our twin daughters’ birthday. They would be, should be, are, are beyond, nine years old. Tomorrow night their parents are going to see Jim Gaffigan and laugh our heads off. But earlier in this tender month, I came across these sweet, simple words and they let me cry—which is equally holy: 

“Life isn’t always like this. It isn’t always kind in the face of loss, doesn’t always give you reasons to believe when your hope is broken. In fact, a lot of times, life feels like the dead opposite of those things. I think that’s one of the reasons I write. To document hope, in all its swirling defiance, standing shoulder to shoulder with doubt. To remind myself that this same body that gave way to death, gets a fresh chance at life, morning after morning.” On Hope and Balloons by

Allie King

.

3. “In families, we are constantly called to rearrange our lives around the ones who need the most help: a newborn baby, a sick child, a broken leg, a stomach flu, a broken heart, a job loss, a new diagnosis, or a mental health crisis. But the school of love that is family life is not simply meant to produce a ‘finished product’ especially if we hold up able-bodied, successful, healthy, and independent adults as the only goal. Instead, we are called to care for the least among us throughout our lives.” My latest column from OSV News: Family is Where We Learn to Serve the Least Among Us.

4. I’m taking part in the 24-hour economic blackout on Feb. 28. Want to join me? Here’s a simple prayer for protesting.

5. This essay from

   Lyndsey Medford
   gives lots of food for thought: “Knowing your neighbors’ names, dog-sitting for them, bringing casseroles—these do not make for good content. They are non-controversial. They are made of things with substance. And I am begging you to remember that that is what makes them so powerful. People are sick of staring at their phones and feeling angry at phantom enemies. When they also get sick of even higher prices, botched emergency responses, international upheaval, and further chaos, they'll be in search of new leadership. Maybe there will be more content wars of various kinds; but the fastest way to break through the noise will be to offer a real hand, in real life, from someone people trust even a little bit.” (Someone is Doing Something)