Seeing the Perfect Christ in His Marred Body
When I was in high school, I spent a horrible week consumed by doubt that God is a good God. A trusted community member abused a child of a family that I cared about and this abuse caused deep and...
Category: Reflection
Pope Benedict and Pope Francis on the Prodigal Son
The parable of the Prodigal Son was the topic of the Pope’s Angelus address on March 27th. Pope Francis said: The Gospel for this Sunday’s Liturgy recounts the so-called Parable of the Prodigal Son (cf. Lk 15:11-32). It leads us...
Humility and Mercy to Heal the World
In his prayer for the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pope Francis lamented the collective sins of our world. We can’t see ourselves as free of guilt; we have all fallen. He said: Yet...
What Is Doctrine For?
Catholicism is a religion of the paradox, of distinctly opposite ideas that nevertheless are both affirmed in their totality. One and Three. God and Man. Virgin and Mother. Sacrifice and Meal. Another of these dualities is the relationship between doctrine—what...
Hosea, Emotional Unavailability and Radical Traditionalists
In Singapore, where I am from, the festive mood extends all the way from Christmas until the beginning or middle of February, thanks to a festival variably referred to as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival. Sadly, for...
Panning for God
Panning for gold “is slow, backbreaking work.”[i] The panner stands knee-deep in cold, running water, scooping up the deposit at the bottom of the stream and slowly swirling it in his pan. The heavier rocky material, such as gold, remains...
Alliance of the generations
Today’s General Audience address by Pope Francis brought tears to my eyes. It was the second installment of his Catechesis on Old Age. The title of this week’s teaching was “Longevity: symbol and opportunity,” and he spoke about why he...
Traditionalism, heresy, and the power of the colanders
What’s the big deal about traditionalism? Surely it’s harmless enough? If people want their smells and bells, why not? Who knows? Maybe some of that old fashioned Catholicism will rub off on the modernized Church. Well…. as an ex-priest of...
Lent 2022: Don’t Let it Catch You by Surprise
Super Bowl LVI is over, leaving some ecstatic and others crushed. Soon it will be time for March Madness – a thrilling twenty-one-day extravaganza of exceptional sportsmanship. Perhaps not as extravagant or thrilling, but Lent 2022 is also on the...
While We Were Sinners
Until recently, there was a painting hanging outside of the Mary, Mirror of Justice Chapel at the Catholic University of America. The icon-like image, titled Mama, depicted a stricken mother cradling her dead son in a pose reminiscent of the...
The Pharisees’ Woes, Humanity’s Woes
A reflection on the readings for February 13, 2022 — The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Today’s Gospel gives us Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, an analogue of the more famous equivalent or parallel passage in Matthew. Luke’s “take” on...
What would happen if Christians embraced detachment?
Back in December, Bishop Robert Barron wrote an article on the Word on Fire website about the Second Vatican Council’s universal call to holiness. He wonders what the world would look like if all Catholics heeded this call to sanctity....
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