In ancient tradition, God dwells on the mountaintops. That is where Elijah encounters Him. But God was not in the great wind that tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks. He was not in the earthquake that shook the mountain to its roots. He was not even in theContinue Reading
In front of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, in the middle of the great square, there is a unique witness to four thousand years of human history. Four huge bronze lions, their tails intertwined, wrap around a large square base, on the base is an Egyptian obelisk that dates back toContinue Reading
Do you remember the story of Odysseus? It used to be required reading in school. The Odyssey follows the pattern of the Hero’s Journey. But it is also the pattern for our lifelong spiritual journey. Odysseus, the king of the island nation of Ithaca, is called to fight in theContinue Reading
In all of the Gospels, there is only one time that a person refers to Jesus by His name. Usually people call Him master, or rabbi, or teacher. But one person turns to Him and says, “Jesus.” The penitent thief, no doubt gasping in pain, calls to Him, “Jesus… remember me… whenContinue Reading
Faith truly can move mountains. It can even win a battle against overwhelming odds. The tension between the Christian and Muslim world is nothing new. It has been going on for centuries. In 1571, Christian Europe was in chaos. The Protestant Reformation had broken the unity of the Church andContinue Reading
What is prudence? In 1845, two ships under the command of Sir John Franklin left England. Their goal was to discover the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic Ocean, across the Arctic, to the Pacific. Neither of the ships nor any of the 138 men ever returned. For more than twentyContinue Reading