What is the dividing line between gracious silence and comfortable cowardice? At what point must our Christian duty to fight the evils of injustice and oppression outweigh our sincere desire to live in peaceful accord with our neighbor? When does truly biblical love look more like protest than amicable silence? I have been wrestling with … Continue reading Let us not be silent: A response to pastoral attacks on God’s LGBTQ+ children
The congruent messages of Memorial Day and the Visitation of Mary
Today is both Memorial Day and the Feast of the Visitation. I write this both as a veteran who has lost friends in training and in combat, and as a seminarian who struggles to reconcile both my own past and our nation's present with the Gospel teachings of the Prince of Peace. The coincidence of … Continue reading The congruent messages of Memorial Day and the Visitation of Mary
What do we expect of the babe in the manger?
It is Christmas Day. The great day for which we have been waiting. But, what, exactly, is the subject of our waiting? In secular terms, the answer is obvious and exciting. The lights, the tree, the presents, family (even if afar, in this year of pandemic), and the food. I love it all. But, what … Continue reading What do we expect of the babe in the manger?
Advent — a time of preparation, a time of penitence
Our King is coming. Now, how should we prepare our house? This is the central question of Advent. How must we order our lives, our work, our communities, our faith and our society, in order to be pleasing to the King of kings? Historically, this period of preparation and reflection looked much different from the … Continue reading Advent — a time of preparation, a time of penitence
Praying the Rosary for the Feast of St. Andrew
Finding love in the border lands
“On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’” (Luke 17:11-13) In this reading Jesus is in the border land, between Galilee and Samaria — between the … Continue reading Finding love in the border lands
Red skies, hypocrites and the living signs of Christ’s Kingdom
Holy Spirit, set us ablaze
The daily readings can be found at this link:https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading In the gospel reading Jesus tells us “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” This can seem a troubling passage. But we must never be mistaken: Christ came to disrupt the world. He came to disrupt … Continue reading Holy Spirit, set us ablaze
Compline, Late Night Edition
Morning Prayer, 10/20/2020
Gird your loins, and prepare to be called to serve. https://youtu.be/RKgw3gipN5Y
Be rich in what matters to God
Evening Prayer https://youtu.be/R1DfB-3LI8I
What do we repay to Christ? Love.
5-time cancer survivor attributes healing to Blessed Stanley Rother
Blessed Stanley Rother, while serving as a priest in Guatemala A five-time cancer survivor, who has beaten long odds twice, attributes her survival to her faith, and especially to the intercessory prayers of Blessed Stanley Rother. Rother, an Okarche native and Oklahoma priest who was martyred in Guatemala in 1981, was beatified by the Roman … Continue reading 5-time cancer survivor attributes healing to Blessed Stanley Rother
Hope, humility, passion
Hoping for what we do not see, with endurance. Morning Prayer for the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila, first woman to be named a Doctor of the Church. https://youtu.be/WWNIMPIi4hI
Woe to you, scholars of the Law!
Morning Prayer, 10/14/2020 https://youtu.be/TgQ3YnIoZ0s