As we mature, we become more independent from our parents. But spiritual maturity is the opposite--it means becoming more dependent on God. This is at the heart of the childlike faith commended in Scripture. Our collect for today's feast of St. Francis of Assisi encapsulates this … [Read more...] about Trial’s night to childlike
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
Songs in Place of Sighing
Recent events have brought to mind a song called "Save the People" from the musical Godspell. The context is about how Jesus came to save God's people from both an oppressive secular state and compromised religious leaders. Shall crime bring crime forever? Strength aiding still the strong? Is it … [Read more...] about Songs in Place of Sighing
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
Bridging Two Worlds
In order to fully understand Scripture, we need to bridge two worlds, connecting the original context with our own. That's not too hard to do with our Mass readings this week. Jeremiah lamented about the failure of God's people to embrace God's truth with vitality. And in a Gospel reading, Jesus … [Read more...] about Bridging Two Worlds