More than one saint who didn’t die a martyr’s death strongly desired to do so. James and John, in today’s gospel, seem very eager to do so—even if only to secure a special place at Jesus’ right and left. And Jesus does seem to promise them both the grace of martyrdom with his assurance that […]

Enemies, and those we really don’t like, occur on a common spectrum—from the one who seeks to violently take my life, to the one whose entire being irritates and tries my patience and charity to the extreme. And whereas the former is, fortunately, rarely encountered, the latter is virtually inescapable at some juncture in our […]

Looking back is one of the preconditions for gratitude—gratitude to God and gratitude towards one another. However, looking back with a morbid regret and sense of shame that excludes forgiving oneself as well as accepting God’s forgiveness, traps us in the past and like Lot’s wife, looking back renders us powerless to move forward. Aware […]

God’s answer to Abram’s question: How am I to know that I shall possess this land, is anything but clear or precise. Instead, he falls into a deep trance and is enveloped by a deep and terrifying darkness that calls for a surrender in loving trust to the Lord who called and brought him from […]

Hate, malice, anger, and envy, all have the potential to bind people together in pursuit of a common cause. However, this unity is a false and fragile one that can easily fracture into violent factions which then turn on each other. Thus, the seething hate and malice that Paul aroused bound the Pharisees and Sadducees […]

Monasteries and monastic life are frequently associated with peace and calm. Accordingly, some are drawn to enter a monastery in the quest for inner peace and happiness. To their surprise and dismay, they discover that monastic life initially seems to rob them of the little peace they may have possessed. Then, misunderstanding what is really […]

Jesus’ telling his disciples: A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me, is reminiscent of the Bride’s lament in the Song of Songs, as she longingly seeks her beloved who has escaped her grasp. As nuns and monks, we can closely identify […]

Certain spiritualities tend towards associating the so-called God of the Old Testament with God the Father—a God who often depicted as wrathful and punishing. And, in contrast, we have Christ as revealed in the gospels—one who is merciful and forgiving and who, as it were, stays the vengeful hand of God the Father. However, in […]

It is unclear (at least to me) whether Philip’s show us the Father, and that will be enough for is, is just simple curiosity, or the affirmation of a profound truth. This truth is one that we struggle to truly believe and act on. So much of our spiritual efforts involve letting go of those […]

It is a totally transformed and emboldened Peter who courageously defies the members of the Sanhedrin and exclaims that it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard. This “impossibility” of which Peter speaks can be understood in two ways. Firstly, in the sense in which Peter intended it. […]