If prayer is a gift of the Spirit—as Rom 8:26 suggests—then it should have a container, a time and space that give it dimensions that are relatable to us human creatures. Jesus says as much: we should make space by shutting the door of our inner room (Mt 6:6) and set aside an adequate amount … Continue reading August 29, 2026 →
The religious novitiate is an intense experience for anybody. No matter how religiously competent you are, receiving a letter in the mail from someone literally called the “novice master” with a detailed list of expectations for your one year stay at her or his novitiate carries a weight and force that is difficult to deny. … Continue reading August 22, 2026 →
Simone Weil was a philosopher, mystic, and political activist who died at the tender age of thirty-four. Her entire life was entrenched in the great wars of her day which forced her to face the hard realities of the human experience. As an intellectual, she attacked important questions of meaning with an uncommon precision and … Continue reading August 15, 2026 →
The mother of Dominic de Guzmán, a 13th century Spanish priest and mystic, had a dream before her baby boy was born: a dog, instead of a child, emerged from her womb and leapt into the world carrying a torch in its mouth, apparently a reference to Jesus’ proclamation that he had come “to set … Continue reading August 8, 2026 →
Worship and happiness are inextricably linked realities that are at the heart of the human experience. However I orient myself spiritually is what my life becomes practically. There are, of course, us religious folks who worship in explicit ways as we seek to achieve feelings of interior purity, which we claim to be the meaning … Continue reading August 1, 2026 →
Rainbows are a fitting symbol for the gay pride movement. From a biblical point of view, they suggest a trusting relationship between heaven and earth, a covenant which ensures that whatever is being experienced in this life—floods and romantic attraction among other real phenomena—makes sense in the purview of divine providence (Gen 9:8-17). From a … Continue reading July25, 2026 →
It is a biblical fact that Word precedes Spirit. When the time was right, the Word became flesh in order to retell the story of humanity. When the time was right again, the Spirit was sent to the disciples to fill that narrative of salvation with feeling and meaning. It seems that this pattern—of creating … Continue reading July 18, 2026 →
Most of the world calls it fútbol; some say soccer; but all agree that it is the beautiful game. The sport not only demands physical fitness and mental acuity, but also a keen intuition that allows one to constantly see the whole field and pick up on the rhythms of the offenses and defenses therein. … Continue reading July 11, 2026 →
Have you heard the expression “give them some grace”? It’s all the rage and the latest example of the collapse of religious language into the vast junkyard of postmodern deconstructionism. We all know what is meant by the phrase—cut them some slack, give them a break, take it easy on them, etc.—and we all certainly … Continue reading July 4, 2026 →
My grandfather was a fisherman. He spent nearly every day of his thirty-year retirement standing on the banks of local creeks, reservoirs and lakes awaiting the thrill of the catch. Other anglers—rod, reel, bobber, weight and bait in hand—would stare at him in a kind of stupor as he pulled crappies and blue gill, one … Continue reading June 27, 2026 →
