Very recently, the wife of a famous murder victim very publicly forgave the man who killed her husband. The reaction to this has be wide and varied. Some expressed admiration. Others were incredulous. And still others were humbled. But the…
Forgiveness and The Law
The Deacon as Christ the Servant
By God’s grace, I have been accepted into the Candidacy program for Diaconate Formation. This means that, God-willing, I will be ordained a deacon in three years. At our Candidacy Mass, our bishop called us into formation and told us…
God Will Be Mocked (And So Will You)
Recently there was a production of Jesus Christ Superstar that caused a great deal of controversy. Those who saw it as an attack on the faith were incensed. I saw many posts writing about this saying, “God will not be…
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…
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…
Jesus and the Temptation in The Desert
We have now started the Holy Season of Lent. This past Sunday, we heard from the Gospel of Luke about Jesus being tempted by Satan three times in the desert. As will all of the Gospel stories, there is so…
Converting The Modern Roman Empire
Many Christians look at the modern world with despair. The old Christian culture has faded into the background and a new secular one is on the ascendancy. People embrace the wonders of technology along with the horrors of hedonism. And…
Jubilee Year 2025
This is the Year of Jubilee! The Jubilee is an ancient tradition from the times of the Old Testament. It was a special time that occurred once every 50 years. During a Jubilee, all land was returned to its ancestral…
Laws of Man, Laws of God
I am sometimes asked the question, “Is it a sin to break the law?” The general answer is yes, but there is an important exception. Civil laws are the ones enacted by the legitimate authorities of our land. As Christians,…