Soul Seeing

Michael Leach and friends write about seeing God, the world and ourselves with the eye of the soul. Each column is a spiritual reflection on the beauty that hides behind appearances and the peace that is beyond all understanding.

"The Virgin and Child Surrounded by Saints," ca. 1759, Anonymous (Artvee)

Throughout 2022, let us pray a litany to the small saints in our lives

by Mark Etling

Jan 8, 2022

Soul seeing: The saints in my litany don't do big things in the eyes of the world. And they certainly don't seek recognition for what they do. They follow the narrow path to sainthood — they listen to the word of God, take it to heart, and act on it.

Guatemalan Nativity scene (NCR photo/Teresa Malcolm)

Christmas means we all belong, to Christ and to each other

by Michael Leach

Dec 23, 2021

Soul Seeing: In Christ, I am part of you and you are part of me and we are really one, indivisible and interdependent. What could be simpler, and more profound?

A statue of an angel carrying Christ's cross is seen on the Castel Sant'Angelo bridge in Rome. (CNS/Paul Haring)

What I learned from my guardian angel

by Christopher de Vinck

Dec 11, 2021

Soul Seeing: My brother Oliver died 41 years ago of pneumonia in my mother's arms. He was on his back in his bed for 32 years. He never moved. He was rolled back and forth and bathed each day. Oliver made me a better man. He was my guardian angel.

That kind soul in the back pew reminds us angels dwell among us

by Patrick T. Reardon

Nov 20, 2021

Soul Seeing: Every parish is filled with angels, people who are holy and touch those around them. When we gather in the church or in the parish hall or on the sidewalk outside, each soul is there, each soul is present in some way, each soul touches others in some way.

Columns ›

Throughout 2022, let us pray a litany to the small saints in our lives

Christmas means we all belong, to Christ and to each other

What I learned from my guardian angel

That kind soul in the back pew reminds us angels dwell among us

What I am learning from 'God's First Bible'

Soul seeing, like love, changes everything

Mindfulness grounds us in God and the present

A postmodern Catholic divinity student lets go for a moment of grace

To remember God's grandeur, look to the sky

This tension is a holy thing

How I wound up living across from a strip club

Being a grandparent is about being in awe

The 'still small voice' of God quietly answers

Our spiritual teachers are all around us

The night when Christ pulled up a chair

God has woven me into the universe

A meditation on Mars, and beyond

The gift of an unexpected midwife

For Lent, it's watermelon and large curd cottage cheese versus the Psalms

In the Bible and US history, we need to look at all the pictures

In this darkness is there also light?

Letting go and giving all to God in 2021

Have a happy Gerard Manley Hopkins Christmas

The proof is in the (bread) pudding

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