“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) One of the most important thing to remember about the Beatitudes from which this line is taken, is that they are not external rewards. God does not…
Why the Pure in Heart Shall See God
We Are the Crowd
On Palm Sunday, we will gather in Church to listen to the Gospel account of the Passion. In most churches, this reading will be in dialogue form, with different people reading the lines from the Gospel. Normally as part of…
Lent: Peace and Plenty are Not the Norm
A passage from JRR Tolkien has always stuck out in my mind since I remember encountering it: “The Hobbits named it the Shire, as the region of the authority of their Thain, and a district of well-ordered business; and there…
Living in the Real World
I recently saw a nice little movie called Ron’s Gone Wrong, which was a parable about how technology and social media have created a deeper sense of depression and alienation in children. For those of us who were raised before…
Guard Against Casual Cruelty
I was reflecting on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. It began like this: “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid…
Covert Yourself Before The World
I was recently in a conversation with someone who said that the billionaires of the world like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates could be saving so many lives if they gave up their massive fortunes towards acts of charity. The…
Lessons from the Fall of King David
To this day, King David is revered as the greatest of the Old Testament kings. God directed Samuel to the house of Jesse to find someone after God’s own heart to lead His people Israel (1 Samuel 13:14). The prophet…
See the Good in Others
I don’t know if you are like me, but I constantly have to fight against making snap judgments. For example, at my church, there is one non-handicap space towards the front of the building. In the morning, I try to…
A Divided Mind At Prayer
I have many, many faults. This should not be news to anyone who knows me. This is especially true when it comes to my spiritual life. I have been graced with a number of mentors and spiritual directors that have…
Pentecost: A Return to Unity
Yesterday was the Feast Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down upon the Disciples. Most of us are familiar with the story, but I wanted to take a moment and look a little deeper. St. Luke gives us…