You may have heard it said, "You can't out-give God." In other words, whenever you give something up for the Lord, you get more in return. But it is possible to fail to recognize the depth of his riches when they're offered. This brings us to Lent, which is a time to appreciate the depth of … [Read more...] about Recognizing Riches in Lent
Word
Newman and your personal mission
Dear Parishioners and Friends, Happy feast of Blessed John Henry Newman. It should be a truism that In order to share the gospel with others, you need to first be able to receive the gospel for yourself. Yet the Accuser -- the enemy of souls -- would have you believe the lie that you are a … [Read more...] about Newman and your personal mission
The Clarity of the Cross
How do you gain wisdom, and how do you obey God's word? The answer for this is as elusive as it is simple. Wisdom can be elusive We've been reading Proverbs at weekday Masses, and the words are simple enough. But as you read the Proverbs and other biblical wisdom literature, you'll find that … [Read more...] about The Clarity of the Cross
Being the Church Against the Tide
We've received a torrent of scandals in the Catholic Church this summer. The flood waters overflow the river banks in life-and-death seriousness. Our Ordinariate context In some ways, I feel insulated from the crisis in the Ordinariate, as clericalism isn't part of our culture, and most … [Read more...] about Being the Church Against the Tide
How to pray in the midst of the crisis
We are living in, what I believe, is the worst scandal in the history of the Catholic Church. We must understand the Feast of the Assumption in terms of that reality. We have the Grand Jury report, released just yesterday, bringing to light even greater depths of the horrid abuse that most of us … [Read more...] about How to pray in the midst of the crisis
Baptism, loss, and redemption
Earlier this week I witnessed a profound symbol of baptism: the sprinkling of a casket. It was the feast day for the Baptism of Christ, and this isn't how we would ordinarily choose to spend it, but it was a powerful sign of redemption all the same. Jesus was baptized not because he needed … [Read more...] about Baptism, loss, and redemption