There are two ways of cleansing the outside of the dish or cup. The first is purely hypocritical—concerned only with appearing good and holy, with no real intention of becoming so. The second, however, is an essential stage in the long work of sanctification and our growing conformity to Christ. Here I am referring to […]

I doubt that anyone here this morning has not had the experience of praying—knocking—and finding the door remain tightly shut. Likewise, some among us may have asked God for what we believed to be an egg, only to receive what looked very much like a scorpion. A common explanation offered in such moments is that […]

Among the various sources of anxiety, is either the fear of a loss of control over one’s life, or the actual experience of that loss of control. Aversive feelings of anxiety are typically accompanied by anxious thinking that conjures up a host of possible bad and negative scenarios for one’s future. Inner peace remains forever […]

 “And they lived happily thereafter” is a familiar and consoling ending to many a fairy tale—one that stands in stark contrast to our experience of real life. The story of Job appears to conclude with just such a “fairy‑tale ending”: his health restored, his fortunes renewed, and his latter days more blessed than his earlier […]

The psychiatrist Viktor Frankl is best known for his book Man’s Search for Meaning, in which he argues that the search for meaning is the primary motivating force in human life—rather than Freud’s conviction that pleasure is our fundamental drive. At first glance, Qoheleth’s exclamation in our first reading, “All things are vanity,” might suggest […]

The neighbor with the splinter in the eye helps us discover and acknowledge the beam in our own eye in two distinct ways. The first is simply by being who he or she is. The neighbor whose presence irritates, unsettles, or angers us may, in fact, be revealing something about the beam that distorts our […]

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great: In reflecting on our first reading, it is worth noting that Paul doesn’t say that if anyone among you considers himself wise, let him realize that he is a fool, but rather let him become a fool, so as to become wise. Becoming a fool is not about unplugging […]

On this day when we are called to pray for the care of creation, we must also pray for forgiveness—for the many ways in which we ourselves have failed to care for the world God has entrusted to us. It is all too easy to think only of governments, large industries, power companies, and other […]

“Hitting rock bottom”—a phrase familiar to those who have emerged fruitfully from serious addictions—can also describe a decisive moment in our spiritual lives and in our struggle against the compulsions of sin. The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, portrays this moment starkly: your wound is incurable, your bruise grievous, and there is no remedy for your […]

Saint Paul in writing to Saint Timothy reassures him that although we are unfaithful, God remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.  Paraphrasing these consoling words, we might say that although we may give up on ourselves, God never gives up on us. Accordingly, like the potter, who tries again and again when the object […]