Vulnerability, being susceptible to harm, is usually seen as a bad thing. Harm is not good: why would someone be willing to be susceptible to it? But the Christian story is exactly that: God became a human being, Jesus, and…
Vulnerability
St. Paul the Revolutionary
Yesterday was the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. These two men were the pillars of the ancient Church who were martyred by the Roman Emperor Nero. And yet even though they were killed by Rome, they conquered Rome in…
Why Only the Four Gospels?
There are literally dozens of Gospels that were floating around the ancient world. We are all familiar with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, But there are also many other Gospels like the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Thomas, the…
To Live is Christ and Death is Gain: Paul in Philippians
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is considered one of the undisputed letters of the apostle. He writes this letter from prison and is potentially facing execution for the Gospel. And yet even though he appears to be in a lose-lose…
Interruptions as a Blessing
I confess that I do not like interruptions. When I am in the middle of something, I like to keep working on it. To be interrupted feels sometimes as if one is being kept from the task at hand. But…
Pope Leo XIV: What’s in a Name?
Less than two weeks ago, I was in the same boat as all of you: watching our new Holy Father present himself to the world for the first time. Cardinal Robert Prevost introduced himself to his Church as Pope Leo…
The Conclave – What Happens Now?
On Wednesday, May 7th, the cardinals of the Catholic Church will gather for the conclave to choose our next pope. So what exactly happens? The cardinals, those in charge of Church government, will be the ones to vote. Only cardinals…
Is the News good for us?
As Christians, we need faith, love and hope to live. Faith gives us the assurance that we are not alone, that God is there and that he makes all the difference. Love tells us that God genuinely cares about us,…
Pope Francis and the Life of Faith
Like many of you, I awoke this morning to the news that Pope Francis has gone to our Heavenly Father. My heart is very heavy at this loss, as I am sure is the case for all who feel the…
God’s Subversive Kingdom
Jesus came and preached the Kingdom of God. I don’t think that we truly appreciate how utterly radical this Kingdom is. The word that is used in the Gospels for Kingdom is “Basileia.” The “Basileia” of God was very different…