It is one of the paradoxes of the spiritual life that as we grow closer to God we seem to know less about him. In the obscurity of faith that accompanies this deepening union we gradually shift from thinking of God as someone “out there” as an object to look at, and learn that he […]
Feast of Saint John the Beloved
Over the centuries there have been numerous saints who have longed and even prayed for martyrdom. We don’t know if Saint John had this same desire for martyrdom, but Christian tradition has long maintained he died a natural death at an advanced age in exile on the island of Patmos. In this Saint John dispels […]
Friday of the 3rd Week of Advent
There are two primary kinds of pride: The first is based on a person’s delusional sense of his or her greatness with reality contradicting it. The second kind of pride is based on reality but attributes such greatness to oneself instead of giving glory to God. Mary carefully avoids both pitfalls. In yesterday’s gospel we […]
Friday of the Second Week of Advent, Feast Day of St. John of the Cross
Although, as Christians, we affirm the unconditional love of God, receiving this love and benefiting from its saving power is conditional. God’s unconditional love is not to be equated with all things turning out well in the end no matter what—thereby nullifying all negative consequences. The very nature of love is that it excludes coercion—either […]
Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Isaiah speaks of the Lord providing a feast of rich foods and choice wines—and in this way mirrors Jesus’ feeding the large and hungry crowd. However, there is something significantly different in these two events. The God who provides a feast of rich foods and choice wines might be said to be one who knows […]
Saturday of the 34th Week of the Year
Notwithstanding the dire warnings of cosmic cataclysms and other fearful occurrences accompanying the end of the world and the return of Christ in glory, there are some more mundane tribulations that will beset those who do not eagerly desire or welcome his return. For those whose sole interests and preoccupations are with the pleasures and […]
Wednesday of the 32nd Week of the Year
Ingratitude towards God results from two chief causes: Firstly, a failure to recognize God’s gifts showered on us every day, and secondly, an even more fundamental failure to recognize God’s presence in our life. Accordingly, developing a spirit of gratitude by recognizing and acknowledging God’s gifts helps heighten our awareness of God’s presence in our […]
Tuesday of the 31st Week of the Year
While it is important that we never be presumptuous about our salvation, it is equally important that we don’t experience undue anxiety about making it into the eternal banquet of heaven. And so although Jesus warns that none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner, their exclusion is based not so much […]
Friday of the 29th Week of the Year
The psalmist reminds us how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live in unity and in seeking this unity Paul offers three important exhortatory words: bear, strive, and preserve. Although the perfection of unity in community is one which will only be fully realized in the heavenly kingdom, we are called to strive […]
Tuesday of the 29th Week of the Year
Servants and offering service do not, typically, conjure up thoughts of privilege or enjoyment. And yet, Jesus seems to align his own eternal happiness with girding himself and waiting upon those who have faithfully longed for his return and opened immediately to his knock. In this we encounter the Christian paradox whereby service and the […]