When a Book Belongs to God
Writing a book is a lot of work. And I mean a lot of work. I’ve written two. The first one, The Goodness Within: Reaching Out to Troubled Teens with Love and Compassion, was published by Paulist Press in 2004,...
Tagged: vocation
Woman – The Minister of Communion
This is the sixth and final article in our series “Man and Woman – Image of the Triune God”. The first was “What is the Real Thing For Women?” The second was “Image of One – Image of Three.” The...
Roger and Out: How the last moments of a saint changed me
Twenty years ago Brother Roger Schutz was murdered during evening prayer in the ecumenical community of Taizé which he founded in a small Burgundy village in 1940. The violent manner of his death shocked France and the Christian world. I...
The Three Enemies of Daily Obedience
On October 22, 1939, less than two months after the German invasion of Poland, C.S. Lewis (the author of The Chronicles of Narnia) gave a talk on how to face the challenge of daily responsibilities during times of conflict. The...
A Parable on Immigration
Several years ago, Pope Francis approved the Instruction promulgated by the Dicastery for Consecrated Life called Cor orans. This document laid out precise directions for the updating of the life of contemplative nuns. One of the most startling directions was...
The shepherd amidst his flock
A reflection on the readings for April 21, 2024 — The Fourth Sunday of Easter (also Good Shepherd Sunday and the 61st World Day of Prayer for Vocations) My wife and I recently traveled out of state for a visit...
Brian Armbrustmacher – Vocation and Discernment
In a Pope Francis Generation first, this interview was recorded in-person at my house. (If you’re watching on Youtube, you’ll see that we recorded this conversation in my wife, Kristina’s, art studio for her business, Painted Sanctuary.) For this episode, I...
A priest’s plea for unity and love for the pope
On June 23, I will celebrate twenty-two years of ordination to the priesthood. Born in 1974, I belong to what Catholics fondly call the John Paul II generation. In this brief essay, I will reflect on how the experience of...
Is Celibacy Better than Marriage?
When I was in college, the leader of a young adult group told me something like, “While the particular vocation a person is called to is the best vocation for them, the priesthood and consecrated vocations are objectively greater.” At...
Father Ed: A man for God and others
What does it mean to be a Catholic man? In recent years, many podcasts, YouTube videos, articles, and books have been devoted to the subject. The number is not surprising. As many argue, the Catholic Church in the West is...
The high bar of holiness
Recently, Dr. Larry Chapp wrote an article entitled “Rejecting the ‘low-bar Thomism’ of revisionist moral theologians.” Typically, I find that Dr. Chapp’s articles are insightful and well-written. This article is a follow-up to his recent reviews of the republication of...
Love: A Prophetic Call
A reflection on the Readings of January 30, 2022 – the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time It is not uncommon for people to ask me, “How did you decide to become a priest?” Often my answer to this question is...
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