Jennifer Walker Thomas

Every March, my husband and I attend a St Patrick’s Day breakfast in Boston. The event is social and political theater — imagine the world depicted in every stereotypical Boston film or TV show, and you would not be far off. The room is crowded, the accents are thick, the chatter is loud, the auction is raucous and the jokes roll out. Typically, governors, mayors, members of Congress and countless local and state politicians all sit cheek by jowl in a very small and crowded space....

The story of Christ’s birth is proof that dark moments can contain holy possibility.

Over the last few weeks, I have been considering what it looks like to prepare spiritually to be a flexible, faithful and functional...