Over five years after the pandemic, most of my fellow parishioners will still not grasp hands to pass the peace—-and I long for it. I wrote about the power of this ritual for Busted Halo.

Humility is a concept that is difficult to define. We often think of it as an antithesis to confidence. But this is simply untrue. Many of our favorite leaders in history or in our own lives are treasured because of their humility. I think of St Teresa of Calcutta and her work with the poorest of the poor in India. Or an old boss who always said it was the interns who did most of the difficult work on a project, not him. There is an openness in humility. A flexibility to learn something new. A teachable spirit. Humility allows us to listen. And ultimately, humility is connected to God’s sovereignty.

Poet John O’Donohue said "It would be lovely if we could rediscover our power to bless one another." I've been trying to discover it for myself.

St Paul was on house arrest for 2 yrs. Sound familiar? And yet, he chose joy. I look to him for inspiration during this seemingly, never-ending lockdown.