Persistence is one of the hallmarks of Christian prayer. Abraham is persistent in interceding with God on behalf of the town of Sodom. Even so, God destroyed Sodom because not even 10 righteous men were found. Were Abraham’s efforts in vain? Surely God knew the number of good people in the doomedContinue Reading
The Creator of all things is still present in the things He has created. St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians echoes the Gospel according to Saint John. “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” All of creation was made through Christ,Continue Reading
How can we call ourselves God’s family? When I give Baptismal Preparation classes I often ask the men in the room, “How many of you thought you were marrying just one person, and then come to find that you actually married an entire family?” The heads of the men almostContinue Reading
God is constantly calling us to Him, how are we responding to the call? In His Book The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell theorized that there is a common structure to hero stories around the world. He referred to this structure as the monomyth and broke down itsContinue Reading
In the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, not too far from the Vatican, there is a statue by Michelangelo, Christ the Redeemer. What you may not know is that this is the second statue the artist carved to fulfill his commission. The first statue developed a flaw. As it was beingContinue Reading
Do we hesitate to take on our role as missionaries because we doubt our abilities? One of my favorite movies is “A Man for All Seasons,” starring Paul Scofield as Thomas More. In one key scene More defends his reluctance to accept the post as Chancellor of England by citingContinue Reading
So you’ve taken stock of your gifts, talents, and interests, and made a list. You like to play the violin (electric), you like to dance, you like to make and dress up in costumes, you like to write music, and you think it might be fun to make videos. WhatContinue Reading
What constitutes true worship? This is the theme we meditate on as we come to the middle of the Lenten season. God reveals Himself in the giving of the 10 commandments. He introduces Himself as the sole God and any form of idol worship is therefore worthy of punishment. AllContinue Reading
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was once staying with a community of sisters working with the Aborigines of Australia. She learned of a man who lived isolated from the community. Everyone ignored him and his house was disordered and dirty. Mother Teresa visited him and offered to clean his house,Continue Reading
English poet Leigh Hunt tells a story about a man named Abou ben Adhem. Abou woke up one night to the vision of an angel writing in a book. He asked the angel what he was writing and the angel said, “the name of those who love the lord.” “IsContinue Reading