Faith is a completely different way to live our life and to perceive our surroundings. One of my favorite images to explain faith comes from the first Star Wars movie. Luke is practicing with his light saber and his mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi, forces him to do it blind so that he can practice being attuned with the Force. As Christians, we do not believe in the Force, but the experience is as removed from our ordinary experience as living... Read more
Suffering and peace go together, though not always right away. I remember when I was younger and my Mom got sick. When my brothers and I got up in the morning, our neighbor was in our kitchen. This time seemed to be different. I remember asking, why is she here and where are Mom and Dad? She eventually went back home and I helped take care of the house and my three siblings.; I was the oldest and did a... Read more
We can all feel like the disciples in the boat who cross the sea with Jesus to face the storm. Everything pointed to shipwreck. They seem upset about the boat sinking. Incredibly, they are even more concerned about whether or not Jesus cares about them. This Gospel gives witness to the tenderness of Christ’s heart. Jesus does indeed care about each one of us. Rise of Anxiety and Depression I imagine we are all aware that anxiety and depression are... Read more
Game 5 of the NBA Finals 2024 seemed more like a coronation ceremony for the Boston Celtics than a competition. It was not hard to believe. During the whole season, the team has put up incredible numbers and had taken the first three games in a row from the Dallas Mavericks. After the game, I watched the trophy ceremony and was impressed by the humility of the individuals involved. Each one was quick to thank God. They were quick to... Read more
Jesus wants us to understand the Kingdom of God. He knows that it is hard for us to establish a personal relationship with God as Father. This task which has become even harder in our modern world. We are driven to think about ourselves as independent and can tend towards God being an afterthought in our lives. Jesus knows that all good in our souls originates from having a personal relationship with our Father in Heaven. He himself has an... Read more
Mortal sin is deadly sin. When we look at what sin is, we recognize that it is a transgression against God’s law. Sin damages relationships between people. It affects our relationship with the natural world. It affects our relationship with God negatively. Ultimately, sin leads to death as it is a rebellion against God. In Catholic moral theology, we distinguish between venial and mortal sin. While venial sin weakens our relationship to God, deadly sin kills this relationship. Mortal sin... Read more
Division is rampant in our world. When I read today’s Gospel, I feel that it speaks about a reality that we all face every day. The cultural and moral divisions that we experience in our daily lives give witness to the words of Jesus that a house divided cannot stand. We face division in our world, in our families, and within ourselves. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and if we are going to survive, we must learn how... Read more
There is a certain amount of “sunk cost” in any relationship that has turned sour. This leads us to stay in longer than we should, not wanting to “lose” what we perceive to have already invested. However, it is important to know when to cut and run. We have to at least take a step back and survey the situation more fully. Why should two people think twice about getting married? Society Infatuated With Love As a society, we love... Read more
My dad was a fastpitch softball pitcher and growing up, I spent many weekends accompanying him on trips throughout Southern California to various tournaments. I learned to keep score and to make my own lunch. One time, he made us peanut butter and butter sandwiches. From then on, I made sure to pack for myself. Often, the softball fields were far from civilization and the local snack bar was the only opportunity to buy something. For one larger tournament, however,... Read more
Concern about artificial intelligence and its potential ramifications for society shape much of the current cultural debate. Can a science fiction writer aid Pope Francis’ reflection on artificial intelligence? 70 years before the current debate about artificial intelligence, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was reflecting on how to deal humanely with futuristic technology such as robots. His reflection on robots translates well to our world’s pressing reflections about how to deal with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In