PBS just made a video of iconographer Seraphim O’Keefe. I was struck by something he mentioned (but that wasn’t included) when he stated icons play a role similar to fasting in the Orthodox tradition. Both, he says, are ways of finding order and beauty. I have always had trouble finding beauty in my fasts, so thank you Seraphim! You have opened a new doorway to see grace in my life. I know I love, love, love icons. They are among... Read more

I ran into this video today. It reminded me of a prayer in the Theophany liturgy of the Eastern Churches. This is the feast that commemorates the baptism of Jesus and teaches the church a great deal about their own baptism. The prayer states:  For you are our God, who through water and the Spirit rejuvenated our nature grown old by sin.  I think this video demonstrates this pretty well… and it’s advertising water. Coincidence? I think not! Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about liturgical theology, and how liturgy opens our eyes to the reality of the world and the life of God. Take a listen and let us know what you think! If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

The question “are sacraments magic?” is one that comes up surprisingly often in my life. It’s not a new question. Both magic and sacraments would seem to hold claims to using the natural world to accomplish supernatural effects, and it seems only natural that folks would begin to associate the two. People have associated the sacramental life of the church with divination and sorcery for many centuries. Interestingly the words “hocus pocus” are derived from the Latin translation of Jesus... Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about incarnational theology, and how Jesus Changes everything. Take a listen and let us know what you think! If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about incarnational theology, and how Jesus Changes everything. Take a listen and let us know what you think! If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

This week  the other doctoral students on the Crossed Purposes podcast and I talk about who Jesus is and if it even matters. Take a listen and let us know what you think! If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Download it here Read more

Does anyone else feel like this Pope is redefining what you thought was possible for a pope to look like? This pope seems to be the real deal. I am amazed at the way that every day he surprises me with another example of humility and a pastoral heart. Already he has done so many things that turn my head…. here are 11: Taking public transit as a Cardinal and choosing to leave the conclave in the bus too Taking care of his own business over & over & over Refusing... Read more

Today the pope will wash the feet of incarcerated young people as he chooses to celebrate Holy Thursday in a juvenile detention center. There will be no media coverage. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper that Pope Francis will celebrate on Holy Thursday in the chapel of the Casal del Marmo Penitential Institute for Minors (IPM) will be, by his express desire, very simple, as reported by the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. Concelebrating with the... Read more

An Atheist writes: Be honest, do some christian denominations look down on others? Do people look down on others for their denomination’s beliefs. Is the Catholic church taken less seriously after all the scandal it’s going through? My Response: Of course people look down on others… Christians are human beings after all. Who you look down on is dependent on who you are and where you stand. I was raised in the LCMS (a conservative Lutheran body) and in the LCMS we... Read more