5 Quick Things #365 💐

feasting, embracing the untouchable, the formative nature of literature, & a conclave

Apr 25, 2025

Hey there,

Happy first full week of Easter! …And it’s hard to know what to say that hasn’t already been said (by a million people all over the internet) about the death of the leader of our global Church, Pope Francis. May he rest in peace, may our leadership be filled with Holy Spirit-fueled wisdom as they make decisions for the future, and may this time remind us all of the brevity of our lives and where God is leading each one of us.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. New episode of A Drink With a Friend! I chat with Stephanie Duncan Smith, a book editor who’s been thinking for a while about the liturgical calendar. We get into Eastertide — and the beauty of its length (50 days), how it’s good that feasting always follows fasting, why Ordinary Time is magical, and how it all fits together with the rhythms of our personal lives (and how it feels when it sometimes doesn’t).
2. Earlier this week I shared with subscribers twenty-five ways we can lean into the feasting season of Eastertide — because we can’t exactly gorge on desserts and forego chores for nearly two months… It mostly looks like taking a posture. Here are a few of my ideas.
3. I really appreciated this reflection on Pope Francis and his best ‘sermon’: “You whom others mock. You who are invisible. You who are hated. You who are broken. Christ loves you. Christ hungers for you. Christ will never leave you. Ever. In this embrace of an ‘untouchable,’ Pope Francis offered his greatest homily. And he didn’t have to say a word.“
4. I didn’t know Pope Francis ever addressed the role of literature in spiritual formation, but he did — and his thoughts are worth the read: “Literature thus has to do, in one way or another, with our deepest desires in this life, for on a profound level literature engages our concrete existence, with its innate tensions, desires and meaningful experiences.”
5. And finally, if you’re curious as to what the heck happens when a pope dies — and how the next one is chosen (I was!), Joe Heschmeyer has a great, not-too-long accessible play-by-play (here it is in audio).

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

How it Went, by Wendell Berry

Quotable 💬

“Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it.”

― Fyodor Dostoevsky

What’s the best Easter candy? 🍬

I almost feel wrong by asking this question, because I’m not a big candy person to begin with (cookies, brownies, and ice cream are my kryptonite). It seems like there’s a near-even opinion on most of these candies, except for a few of you crazy outliers who like Peeps… I’m going with the slim majority — plain ol’ chocolate bunnies for the win.

Chocolate Bunnies: 27%
Cadbury Creme Eggs: 26%
Jelly Beans: 22%
Robin Eggs: 22%
Peeps: 3%

Find next week’s poll here.

You’ve Still Got Time (But Not Much)! 🎒

It’s not too late to join us… Come along with my family and me as we float down the Rhine River this June — come along as we witness Cologne Cathedral, the Abbey of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Gutenberg Bible, and beyond, unpacking what it means to live according to a Rule of Life:

Learn More ⚓️