“our lives are a constant struggle, a battle between our old fallen nature and our new redeemed Christian nature.” In the 1999 film “The Matrix,” the heroes of the film, those who fight against deception and oppression are betrayed by their own Judas, a character named Cypher. Cypher makes aContinue Reading
“few of us feel worthy of this calling. Isaiah, Peter, and Paul all expressed their feelings of unworthiness when God called them to fulfill their mission.” Perhaps you remember this. “I’m looking for someone to share in an adventure.” “An adventure? No, I don’t imagine anyone west of Bree wouldContinue Reading
When we dedicate our gifts and talents to God, giving back to him the fruit of the gifts He has given us, our work is shaped by our love for God. When we offer out gifts and talents to God, He sometimes uses them in unexpected ways. The book, “ChickenContinue Reading
“As artists, are we concerned more with the Kingdom of Men, or with the Kingdom of God?” We live in two worlds, the visible and the invisible, and we have a foot in each. The visible world is of earthly kingdoms where truth is relative and fleeting. The invisible worldContinue Reading
“Perhaps our greatest desire, often unexpressed, is to be at peace.” There is an old story about a king who had the habit of dressing in a disguise, mounting his horse and riding out late at night to survey his kingdom without all the attention and panoply that usually accompaniedContinue Reading
“Imperfect Beauty allows the perfect Beauty of God to shine more brightly.” I occasionally come across a writer who describes the beauty of a woman as being more perfect because of a small “flaw” such as a mole or scar or birthmark. This is usually in older books because inContinue Reading
“The work of the artist assumes the role of a sacramental…helping us to attain the disposition necessary to receive God’s grace and allow grace to guide us in our work and our lives.” In 1952 Pope Pius XII addressed a group of Italian artists on the occasion of the sixthContinue Reading
We now transition to the third phase our hero’s quest, Vocation. This part of our journey is all about giving back. If we have traveled the path this far we have undergone a tremendous transformation. Now it is time to return to where we started. This phase also has threeContinue Reading
“Our reward, the treasure, the prize we have sought from the beginning is an encounter with the divine.” TRANSFORMATION We have defeated the Adversary, we have survived death, we have overcome our greatest spiritual challenge. We are transformed into a new state, emerging from battle stronger than we were before,Continue Reading
Do you believe in miracles? On February 15, 1949, a construction worker named Giovanni Savino was severely injured in an accident involving dynamite. A doctor, Guglielmo Sanguinetti, Padre Raffaele, a capuchin, and a priest named Dominic Meyer all rushed to the injured man. All three noted that among Savino’s numerousContinue Reading