Author Archive for
I have Come to Cast a Fire on the Earth – A Meditation on the Feast of Pentecost
What a wondrous and challenging feast we celebrate at Pentecost. A feast like this challenges us, because it puts to the lie a lazy, sleepy, hidden, and tepid Christian life. The Lord Jesus had said to Apostles, and still says to us: I have come to cast a fire on the earth! (Luke 12:49). This [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Power Gone Wrong – As seen in a Superhero Cartoon Clip
We tend to demonize the word “power” in our culture. But of itself, power is simply the capacity to act, a kind of energy to accomplish what must be done. Power in this sense can lead to magnificent and creative solutions to difficulties, wonderful breakthroughs and great progress. God gives us all a certain degree [...] Read the rest of this entry »
What is the Christian Understanding of Freedom and how is it different from the World’s fake freedom?
One of the terribly destructive philosophies is a false notion of freedom. The sinful world, going all the way back to Satan’s deceit in the garden, thinks of freedom as being able to do whatever I please. In effect those who hold this, flaunt their false notion of freedom saying in effect, “I will do [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Our Lady of Fatima and the “Muslim Connection”
This past week we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. (And, given my mention of Fatima, you may wonder why I have Our Lady of Guadalupe pictured here, but more on that in a moment). But as for Fatima, with all the emphasis on the magnificent teaching and prophetic fulfillment of that apparition, [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Chipping away everything that is not of God or You – A Meditation on God as Sculptor
Michelangelo was asked the question how he could make a beautiful sculpture like his “Moses” out of a large block of marble. He famously answered that he simply began and chipped away everything that wasn’t Moses. And this is a paradigm for us, into senses. Clearly for us, the Lord must chip away everything in [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Does God Approve the Abuse of Women? A Meditation on Genesis 3:16
One of the darker passages in the Scriptures comes just after the Fall of Adam and Eve. God is announcing the consequences they have ushered in, and, having spoken to Adam of the arduous quality of work and the hostility of the natural world, God turns to Eve and says, I will greatly multiply your [...] Read the rest of this entry »
God is preparing me for something I can’t handle now. What the Story of Moses’ preparation has to teach us.
In The Second Chapter of Exodus, we have presented the Story of Moses and how he was prepared by God for the great mission he would one day take up, by God grace, that of delivering and leading the Jewish people to freedom and toward the Promised Land. But as we shall see, Moses’ preparation [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Every Round Goes Higher – A Meditation on the Feast of the Ascension
In more dioceses than not, the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated this weekend. The liturgist in me regrets the move, but here we are anyway. So let’s ascend with the Lord, three days late! This marvelous feast is not merely about something that took place two thousand years ago. For, though Christ our head [...] Read the rest of this entry »
A Little Primer on Charisms as seen in an animated video
The video below illustrates a charism gone wrong. More on the video in a moment, but first, let us consider what a charism is and why it is important to properly understand it. Charisms are a type of grace which God gives to individuals for ministry, for service. As such, they are not so much [...] Read the rest of this entry »
From Sight to Insight. A Meditation on the “Sacrament” of Seeing
In the Gospel for the Thursday of this 6 week of Easter, there is a phrase that goes back and forth between Jesus and the apostles 3 times, the phrase says, “ A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later you will see me. (John 16:16) That [...] Read the rest of this entry »
On the Spaciousness and Silence of Deeper Prayer.
One of the graces of deeper prayer, if we persevere through the years, is that the Lord to turn us upward and outward. And, gradually our prayer turns more toward God and is less anxious about our own aches and pains. For now, it is enough to give them to God and trust his providence. [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Learning to love Heaven – It’s not as automatic as you think
It is generally presumed, at least among those who believe in God and the afterlife, that everyone naturally wants to go to heaven. But of course, “Heaven” is usually understood in a sort of self-defined way. In other words heaven is a paradise of my own design, the place is perfect as I think perfect [...] Read the rest of this entry »
