Our busy lives really do challenge us in keeping our priorities in the right order, don’t they? We moderns are a complicated mishmash of schedules, opportunities, affluence, and “freedom.” And that multiplication of events, desires, hopes, and advertisements don’t seem to be slowing down. It seems that each new...
I always wonder at those who constantly insist “You can’t judge me.” I don’t need to judge you. We always judge ourselves. Our words, our actions, and our thoughts all contain all that is needed to “judge” rightly the true state of our souls. It is also why the...
I love what I read recently about being famous: "Being famous on Instagram or Facebook is like being rich in the game Monopoly." That is so true. But we have a shallow culture today that seems to be addicted to being famous or "great" in the eyes of the people...
In the beginning, God said... And with that action, God has been using speaking and hearing to start the process of metanoia (repentance) in the hearts of those who have "ears to hear." There are so many examples of this pattern of God's actions that there are too many to...
The first time I heard this, it hit me like a ton of bricks! “Let us commend ourselves, ONE ANOTHER, and our whole life unto Christ, our God. To You, O Lord.” “One another?” How do I “commend” someone else to “Christ, our God?” Aren’t they responsible for themselves?...
One of the most difficult realities I’ve had to face as an adult, as a priest, as a husband, and as a father is waking up to the reality of the complexity of each human person I encounter, including myself. This continuous process of discovery has me regularly seeing...
Asking for help isn't really my strong suit. Frankly, I hate doing it. And I hate doing it not because of pride or ego, but because of fear. I'm afraid of appearing weak. I'm afraid of being vulnerable. And yet, most of the times in my life where I've...
"This world is not my home. I'm just a'passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore." That's an old spiritual that I use to sing as a boy...
I never will forget the first time I heard the phrase "paper pope." Frankly, it both startled and offended me. But I couldn't figure out just why. I was still a Protestant at the time and was in a conversation with another Evangelical that was on his way out...
Ralph Waldo Emerson once suggested that the greatest invention of humanity is friendship. But Emerson is mistaken. Friendship isn't man's invention. It is God's. And a man is truly rich indeed when he has friends! That makes the current pandemic of loneliness all the more terrible and soul-crushing for...
