through him, with him, and in him
Discerning vs Doing All three readings from this week echo a theme about the way of God, the will of God. The first reading (Ezekiel 18:25-28) contrasts the ways of God with the ways of man. This is echoed throughout Scripture: “Your ways are not my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). In the second reading, we hear […]
Did God create the world in seven literal days? The Church warns us against taking an exclusive, too literal interpretation of Scripture. Could God have created the world in seven literal days if there was no sun around which to rotate? Those seven days could very well signify times, seasons, perhaps even seasons of evolution. […]
A couple of years ago, when I was still in seminary, we were assigned to parishes over the summer. Â I got assigned to a medium sized parish with a couple of resident priests. I befriended a Jesuit priest. Every night after having dinner, we would enjoy a glass of wine and talk about theology, the […]
I was meeting with one of the Confirmation students and talking about the Sacrament. She asks me, “So, what now?” “What do you mean?” I respond. “Well, until now I’ve been in CCD classes for First Communion prep and then Confirmation prep classes. What now? What happens after I receive the Sacrament?” And I thought […]
Some weeks ago I paid a visit to the Car Wash. They received my car, gave me a ticket, and invited me to sit down in a small waiting room area. I found a seat in the waiting room, which was empty apart from a man and a woman sitting together; I pulled out my […]
Today we celebrate a great feast of the Church, the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. It is the biggest of the Marian feasts, and its mystery is derived from the mystery of the Incarnation, that God willed to become man, and more specifically, as the second reading said, that He willed to be […]
A local fitness center was offering $1,000 to anyone that could prove they were stronger than the owner. Here’s how it worked: the muscle man would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, then he would hand the lemon to the next challenger. Anyone who could squeeze out one more drop […]
A few months ago some friends and I drove up to Austin to attend a graduation ceremony. We started talking about commencement speeches, and we noticed that most commencement speeches have two key elements in common. The first element is an emphasis on discovering your passion, talents, and gifts. The second element is a call […]
One of the perks of wearing the roman collar in public is that I get to have the most interesting conversations in the oddest of places, even in the cereal aisle of a supermarket. I was looking at cereals the other day, and from the corner of my eye I saw someone pass by, and […]
Last week we heard about Jesus’ dinner invitation with one of the leading Pharisees; we heard that his popularity has been steadily increasing, and that he is becoming a celebrity of sorts. Today, the Gospel depicts a multitude walking with Jesus: “Great crowds were traveling with Him” (Lk 14:25). I can picture Jesus stopping, looking […]
Newscasts have learned to rely on a number of phrases to capture our attention. They start with “Don’t leave, when we come back, the danger of using too much salt in your food!” move on to “The frightening truth of sitting down for too long” or “What you may not know about the water you’re […]
It is amazing to see how much we can learn about human nature by observing our children. A year ago my sister gave birth to a baby girl. Something very interesting occurred one day when I was visiting. My Mom was holding my baby niece in her arms and they were embracing. One of my […]
