The world is full of abuse. It should not be a surprise, then, that those who are wounded in the world (and who isn’t wounded in one way or another?), will look for and seek help. Those who sound reasonable and helpful, who seem beneficial and good, with charm and devotion, will attract vulnerable people. While those skilled with helping others and healing them will have these qualities, so will predators who will look like and appear to be healers... Read more
St. Gregory the Wonderworker, whose feast is November 17, was, as his name suggests, known for a life filled with great miracles. But, as it is clear in his biography written by St. Gregory of Nyssa, this was because he was a man of humble virtue. He did not seek glory for himself. He avoided the priesthood, seeking instead a quiet life of solitude, and yet, bishop Phaidimos of Amaseia found a way to meet with St. Gregory the Wonderworker... Read more
In the Philippines, President Duterte has engaged a brutal war against drugs, violating human rights and destroying the lives of many innocent people. Duterte said that he would win the war “by any means necessary.” He wants to look like he is in control, full of power, and the drug war is a way to demonstrate his authority to the rest of his country. He can look like he is fighting a real problem, using that to justify his evil.... Read more
Jesus was and is king, king of all creation, though as he himself indicated, his kingdom is not to be found in the way people look for any other kingdom on earth, where it exists within a particular locality with actual boundaries. Rather, the kingdom of God is all around us, within us, in our midst, penetrating all things and yet transcending them all, for it has no limit: Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was... Read more
Iconoclasm was the last great heresy of the first millennium. While it is clear Christians had long used images in their worship, it is also true that many did not like them nor used them out of fear of idolatry. Indeed, many of the arguments used against idols seemed to apply to Christian images as well. For this reason, much of what the iconoclasts, those who denied the use of some if not all Christian use of images, was based... Read more
St. Salvian the Presbyter lived during the collapse of the Roman Empire, and in his writings, he explained why he believed it fell. A major part of his argument was the rise of the elite rich which took all the money and resources for themselves, burdening everyone, especially the working class poor, to pay for benefits which only the elite received. The imbalance led to such dissatisfaction that the poor were willing to abandon the Roman elite for barbarian conquerors... Read more
Jesus warned us that we should not go to him seeking signs because it is indication of a lack of faith (cf. Matt. 16:4) Nonetheless, he understood the human condition and its needs; signs are helpful, but they have to come from God and not our expectation of them. This is why he said he would give only one sign, the sign of Jonah, the sign of grace and redemption from sin. Sadly, this is not enough for many of... Read more
One day Abba Macarius the Great came to Abba Anthony’s dwelling on the mountain. When he knocked on the door, Anthony came out to him and said to him, ‘Who are you?’ He replied, ‘I am Macarius.’ Then Anthony went inside and shut the door leaving him there. Later, seeing his patience, he opened the door and received Macarius with joy, saying to him, ‘I have wanted to see you for a long time, having heard about you.’ He rendered... Read more
Recently, Pope Francis reiterated what Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI understood: the death penalty goes against the mercy and hope established by Christ in the declaration of the Gospel. We, who seek mercy and grace, shall likewise give mercy and grace to others, and this is especially true in regards to the issue of life, for life is sacred and it could be seen as an act of blasphemy to willingly and knowingly take it away from... Read more
Some people want to reduce Catholicism into a monotonous, monotone belief system which has everyone act and think alike; they treat the doctrines of the faith like programming code, expecting one and the same result all around the world. What they like, what they desire things to be like, they think should be universally enforced, while what they do not like should be stopped. The Catholic ideal, to them, is one universal simulacra of their own thoughts and desires, replicating... Read more
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