My Franciscan brother, Dan Horan OFM, posted this interesting piece over at his blog: Dating God.  You can read the post here. Within Dan’s post, there is a link to Fr. Richard Malloy’s piece:  “You are Worthy: Helping Young Adults Learn to See Themselves as God Sees Them.” in American Magazine. Both are worth the read.

“He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp” (Lev 13:46) – frightening and dreadful words.  Spoken to a people in the wilderness, a people on the Exodus betwixt and between the slavery of Egypt and the promised land of Palestine. These are words spoken about brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers.

Can you imagine being on this long journey to freedom in which your entire life is comprised of the people with whom you travel.  There are no others. They are your life. The ones on whom your depend to carry the burdens of the encampment – searching for firewood, mending clothing, tending the livestock, repairing the tents, finding and hauling water, and the list goes on. They are the ones upon whom you depend for safety, for hunting. The one with whom you sit around the fires at night telling the stories of the Exodus, the time of slavery, time of Father Abraham and Mother Sarah. The stories of who you were and who you are.  There are no others. They are your life. Continue reading →