Saint Sergius was known as a spiritual leader, a monastic reformer of medieval Russia and one of the most highly venerated saints of Russia. Born May 13, 1314, this man was baptized Bartholomew, after the Apostle Bartholomew. His parents were…
A Russian Evangelist: St. Sergius of Radonezh
Sunday in Galilee: Stilling the tempest
My journal entry continues describing one Sunday during a 1988 pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Last month I wrote about a Mass in Galilee, celebrated in Aramaic and Arabic, the closest language to that which Jesus spoke. After Mass at…
Jewels in Heaven
And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (Mal. 3:17, KJV) Picture…
Forgiveness: It’s Complicated
What does the word “forgiveness” mean to you? A burden? Something we are obliged (but never really want) to do? Letting someone off the hook? Pushing down hurt and anger? Dealing with lingering guilt? Figuring out how to move on in a…
Absolute Truth and Relativism
Last time, we thought about objective and subjective statements. Let’s look at a similar (and sometimes confused) pair of words: absolute and relative. Why do we care about these words? In 1884, Pope Leo XIII wrote against the relativistic philosophy…
The Truth about Sexuality
Hugh Hefner’s recent passing is an opportunity to reflect on his legacy, the now widely prevalent view of sexuality in the Western world. This is a view that sees any sort of sexual stimulation as legitimate, even good, so long…
Book Review – Why I am Catholic (and You Should Be Too) by Brandon Vogt
One of the greatest commonalities I find among families is that all of us have at least one person who has left the Catholic faith. For those of us with teen or adult children who have left it is often…
Lessons From the Craft Faire
II am something of a vagabond, and a few years ago I had recently moved to a new parish and was delighted to see what a great event they had made of their holiday craft faire. Holiday boutiques are ubiquitous,…
Let It Go
We’ve all been there. Someone cuts you off in traffic and almost causes an accident. Irresponsible fool. You can’t walk your dog at the local park because there are ten off-leash dogs even though the sign clearly forbids it. Lazy,…
Waiting for Perfection
“Oh Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” If you are Catholic and you don’t recognize the previous words, to say the least, you…