The Original Men in Black “I wear black for those who never read Nor understood the words that Jesus said.” -Johnny Cash The monastic vocation is a special calling from God that is all about relationships. It is a relationship that involves community (the monastic brotherhood), but primarily revolves around
Wisdom is not based on age It has been said that wisdom comes with age, and to some degree this is quite true. I’ve often had conversations with old college friends about how nice it would have been to have had the knowledge and wisdom we have now, back when
The priesthood should be like a funnel If a priest is truly to be an agent for grace, he must become like a funnel through which the Lord’s mercy can flow. That a priest has received the grace of ordination, if he does not attempt to live a life of
Forgiveness is the cure for judgment, anger, and resentment Our Lord Jesus Christ told us: “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37).” In the Our Father, the very prayer given to His disciples
Keeping our youth in the Church We are living in an age that has witnessed changes on a massive scale as never before. The way we communicate has changed with the coming of the internet, with information available that would have required a library and advanced degrees to access in
How do we rid ourselves of fear and anxiety? Our determination and resolve provokes Christian efficacy that is not only “self efficacy” but ‘God-empowered efficacy.’ Thus, we can join ourselves in concert with the words of the psalmist and say, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
We must put off religion and put on Christ The Church’s true authority is grounded in love because she holds within her realm the authority to make her people the children of God. She has the authority to forgive, and the capacity to love. And just as her Head, Jesus
We only think we can be of Christ and of the world “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). It
Witnessing to your fallen away relatives and friends We all know people, be they friends or family members, who have fallen away from the faith, or who have never had a faith to begin with. As a priest I have witnessed many individuals whose faith was an important element in
Our thoughts determine our lives “Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool