All posts by Joe Simmons, SJ

Joe Simmons admits his undying love of Arrested Development and The Brothers Karamazov… and of Helen Rittelmeyer who first brought them together.

The next day, Fr. Yan and I returned to the bamboo hut. Inside we found a muslin blanket covering a tiny body that had been moving, wheezing, living, just hours before. The weight of it settled on me…

“Amidst a national tragedy, and the pressures surrounding Christmas, an innocent child tugs at our jacket…”

Just when the cold and dark arrives Advent steps in and says: don’t despair. New life is coming. Make space for it by moving the furniture a bit, and wait attentively.

And now, bless the God of all, / who has done wondrous things on earth; / Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, / and fashions them according to his will! / May he grant you joy of heart / and may peace abide among you.

It takes a couple miracles to be officially named a saint. Facing up to the doubt we sometimes feel, Joe Simmons wonders if these healing are verdicts in search of evidence or something more.

“Muscles don’t grow unless they’re stretched; wounds don’t heal unless their cleaned and tended to. …Babies are not born without considerable pain. Nor are they raised without pain…”