World population right now is over 8 Billion! For some reason I remember more talk leading up to 7 billion. It seemed like a bigger deal. Was less going on in 2011 than 2022? Is there less concern and fear around population today as we learn about what we can overcome? Or is it something else? Despite being surrounded by major cities, my hometown in CT felt surprisingly remote. Now that I’ve moved to central KS, it seems even more... Read more
It’s been a big week. Loving Others The kids got a little sick – while visiting family across the country. While I was praying for all of the family, and especially the little ones, I decided to look ahead at the readings for this Sunday’s Mass. It can be hard to focus on Sunday with the kids, so I thought it’d be nice to pre-read and think of them. Starting with the Gospel to get a theme, the first words... Read more
We’ve mentioned before that the Liturgy and Eucharist are the source and summit of the faith. Carrying out the analogy, what does that mean for us? The Mountain If the source of faith is water flowing out of the source and summit of the mountain, it flows down to the world around it. We want to be living on that mountain, within reach of the lifegiving faith. Source and Summit Adam Bartlett, of Source and Summit has used this image... Read more
Growing up, I never learned about Buddha, Buddhism, or the daily life of Buddhists beyond basic knowledge and seeing the occasional statue in a gift shop. One high school class on “India and Southeast Asia” covered the topic for a week or so, but I have never had a desire to truly investigate Eastern philosophies outside of basic awareness. I don’t think I shied away from Buddha out of fear of being swayed. Rather, I didn’t feel a need for... Read more
Happy Feast of Corpus Christi! It’s Thanksgiving in June! Corpus Christi is the day that we celebrate the true presence of Jesus’ body in the Eucharist. Source and Summit The Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324, LG 11). This idea has been affirmed over and over, but I love this image. I picture a mountain with a stream. Source – the clean water flows from the source and provides life to the everyone and... Read more
Why is there so much chaos in our world? Our bodies fail us, weeds overtake the garden, and when left alone, so much of our world tends toward disorder. Why does God allow entropy? He must have a plan. Chaos in the Garden Well into Spring, it’s the time of year where the the excitement of a newly planted garden is fading, and the weeds are coming in. In our yard, we get this bindweed that spreads so fast and has... Read more
Fr. Emil Kapaun, Servant of God, is a hero in every sense of the word. This Memorial Day, I’d like to reflect a little bit on the life of Fr. Emil and how we can emulate him in his service of God, country, and others. I won’t go too much into Father’s biography because you can get some great longform bios of his life and service elsewhere (links at the bottom). In short, this man was a simple boy raised... Read more
While watching my 1.5 year old son this week, I paused and asked myself, “Why is it so hard to stop eating mud?” Our boy is not necessarily a picky eater. Yet, his preferences (or lack there of) can go a little too far at times. Here is a list of things I have had to ask him not to eat or drink: Crayons Bath bubbles/water Diaper creams, lotions, or anything in a tube Crumbs that I am actively sweeping... Read more
In my introduction post, I mentioned that we would try to go deeper and see God in our daily lives. Before diving into weekly reflections, I want to get practical by answering the question, “How can I hear God?” I have come up with a list of 7 ways. Let me know if you can think of more! 7 Ways We Can Hear GodWhen you first year someone say “I heard God say…”, what is your initial reaction? A little... Read more
Welcome to Formed by a Flame, a weekly column where I reflect on life through a worldview formed by the flame of faith. I put my daily life, books and media, or anything else through the fire to see what is below the surface. Theosis: Being Formed In Christianity, the process of purifying, illuminating, and uniting to God is called theosis or “making divine”. That is the goal here at Formed by a Flame, to form our mind to... Read more
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