Judge or Lover?
I considered the image on the screen. It showed a picture of Christ with both arms upraised in a gesture of triumphant majesty. The face has an intense expression of determination that could easily be interpreted as anger, and I...
Tagged: saint john of the cross
Blessed Are the Weak
In her autobiography, St. Teresa of Avila describes a challenge she was not able to meet. It was around 1542, and Teresa was having experiences that caused her serious concern. I arranged that the priest I said was such a...
Conversion is for Good People Too
A reflection on the Readings for March 20, 2022 — the Third Sunday of Lent (Year C) Over the last few years, I have offered adult faith-formation series based on some of the great saints of the Church. Thus far...
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...
An invitation to the Wedding Feast of the Lord
A reflection on the Mass readings for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. At my parish, I am currently leading an eight-week series on St. John of the Cross. John’s poems are all brilliant, but the ones that are the...
Forgiveness Sets Us Free for Eternity
A reflection on the Sunday readings for September 13, 2020 In the middle of the sixteenth Century, Sts. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila undertook a reform of monastic life. This led to no little discontent in the Carmelite...
The Motherhood of God
“The Breasts of His Own Tender Love” Motherhood needs a cultural reboot. Perhaps no institution is as roundly mocked, belittled, and discounted as motherhood. Our society neglects mothers and discards them when it finds them burdensome. There’s an urgent need...
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