What Thomas Merton Learned at Fourth and Walnut On March 18, 1958, Thomas Merton was standing at the intersection of Fourth and Walnut in downtown Louisville when something unusual happened. Merton had spent years in a Trappist monastery in rural Kentucky pursuing silence, prayer, and the inner
What artificial intelligence can do—and what it can never decide for us Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, once described his company’s ambition as creating “magic intelligence in the sky.” The phrase was memorable and perhaps intentionally provocative. An invisible intelligence, available on demand, accessible from anywhere,
Doubt in later life is not always a crisis of faith. Last Sunday’s reflection considered a stretch of life where certainty no longer works the way it once did—not as a failure, but as something most of us encounter along the way. Building on that, this week,
Last Sunday’s reflection asked where we belong now. This week, we consider what it means to practice staying with what matters in later life. For many who have done the inner work, that question eventually becomes quieter and more demanding. It shifts from geography to attention.
A man who stayed. A woman who traveled. What their lives ask of us. Last Sunday, we reflected on a man who spent nearly his entire life on the land where he was born. Lloyd Russell Hammons didn’t leave when others did. He didn’t stay to
Naming the drain without blame As another year draws to a close, many in our community find themselves taking stock almost without meaning to. Not in the sense of judging the year or grading themselves, but in noticing what kept them together, what tried their patience,
What Our Solitude Is Trying to Teach Us The house stays the same now. The books on the table, the jacket on the chair, the glass by the sink—they wait. When the house was full, nothing stayed still for long. Now even the air feels stagnant.
Justice in later life may look different than it did in our younger years. It’s less about protest marches and more about moral clarity, steady compassion, and the courage to speak truth—even when it's quiet, even when it’s costly. Justice is not just
Wonder in later life may not arrive as fireworks. It may come more like a hush. A certain light in the trees. The feel of morning air. The sudden awareness that something greater is unfolding—and we’re part of it. While youth often
Mortality in later life is not a morbid subject—it is a sacred one. To face our finitude honestly is not to give in to despair, but to make peace with the deepest truth of life: that it is brief, precious, and not ours to control.