And rising very early, going out, he went into a desert place: and he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” – Mark 1: 35-37 Years ago a local church put on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s (and lyricist Tim Rice’s) rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar. If you have never seen it, it is quite the ride with full-throated 1970s-era rock anthems centering on the fallen disciple, Judas Iscariot, as he witnesses the... Read more
The Confession by Guiseppe Molteni I have a confession to make. Years ago, before I converted to Catholicism, I harbored suspicion about the Catholic Sacrament of Confession (also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation). Now, let me be clear. As a Lutheran, I always believed in the importance of praying to God and asking for the forgiveness of my sins. That was simply “part of the Christian deal”. God created us, loves us and passionately wants a relationship with us.... Read more
Nativity with Saints Francis & Lawrence by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio ——— Christ Child Did you know, little Child, The world that would receive you? Ill with Sin, Delirious with Pride, Desperate for Healing, But recoiling from Your touch. Of course, You did. Of course, You did. But for now, dear Child, Sleep. Be soothed by the cool winter wind And nurse from Mother Immaculate And rest under Father’s watch. Tomorrow, You begin. But tonight – tonight – sleep. Sleep. Read more
Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me by Fritz von Uhde “A story is a way to say something that can’t be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is. You tell a story because a statement would be inadequate.” – Flannery O’Connor Eighteen years ago I fell madly in love. Her name was Cari. She had long, auburn hair, high cheekbones, dancing blue eyes and a smile that could... Read more
The First Mourning by William-Adolphe Bouguereau Then the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” – Genesis 4:9 It was 1942, just after the Feast of the Visitation, that Thomas Merton received word. He was going to have a visitor. The two couldn’t have been on more divergent paths. Thomas Merton was a novice aspiring to be a monk at Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery in Kentucky. His brother, John... Read more
As the second Advent candle is lit and the days are advancing to Christmas, my nostalgia climbs to new peaks. My tendency at this time of year is to flee the winter chill by imagining myself wrapped in an overwarm blanket, nestled in an overstuffed chair perched before an overstocked fire (I say “imagining” because this vision rarely comes to fruition). Nonetheless, the ornaments have been hung, the nativity scene arranged and Vince Guaraldi alternates with Nat King Cole... Read more
“Christians used the word ‘advent’ to express their relationship with Jesus Christ: Jesus is the King who entered this poor ‘province’ called ‘earth’ to pay everyone a visit; he makes all those who believe in him participate in his Coming, all who believe in his presence in the liturgical assembly. The essential meaning of the word adventus was: God is here, he has not withdrawn from the world, he has not deserted us. Even if we cannot see and touch... Read more
It’s late – very late. It is the second night of protests in Ferguson, Missouri. It is the second night of reaction to the Grand Jury verdict not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown. The protests last night devolved to riots, looting and arson. Tonight the protests have spread to other major metropolitan areas. And the nation watches anxiously. This post is not going to discuss the guilt or innocence of Officer Darren Wilson. The legal system... Read more
It was April, 1935. And Winston Churchill, a lowly Member of the British Parliament, was beside himself. After all, the German Fuhrer had done it again. After being in power for a little over two years, German Chancellor (and de jure Dictator) Adolf Hitler had baldly & brazenly told his British counterparts that the German air force (the existence of which was outlawed by the Versailles Treaty of 1919) now equaled the British Royal Air Force in size. But Churchill’s... Read more
I’d never been to a retreat like this. This would be my first. I guess that’s not surprising given my late arrival to Catholicism, converting only four years ago. But now, my oldest daughter (a second-grader) was about to take part in her First Reconciliation. So I found myself on Saturday morning arriving with my wife and daughter at our church’s retreat to prepare for this Holy Sacrament. Starting us off, the deeply thoughtful yet puckish Director of Children’s Faith... Read more
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