No Clauses, No Shortcuts: Lessons from Our Lady of Sorrows
It is a special morning as the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. My day begins with prayer and a freshly brewed cup of coffee around 2:30 a.m. As I sip slowly and meditate on God’s Word for the day, I think about mothers who carry heavy ...
Who Has Known the Mind of God?
How do we know the mind of God? The Book of Wisdom puts it plainly: “Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends?” (Wisdom 9:13). It’s a question that at first feels too lofty, too mysterious. But what if we brought it closer home? How do I ...
Ablaze for God: Set the World on Fire
A cold world needs to be set on fire, and God calls us to do just that. About twenty-two hundred years ago, between 164 and 152 B.C., Leonidas, a runner from Rhodes, broke the Olympic record by winning twelve gold medals. For centuries, no one surpassed him. Then, on Thursday, ...
Why the Path to Glory Always Includes Pain
I woke by 2:20am. I felt the voice of my body speaking, a soft ache and gentle protest in my muscles, echoes from yesterday’s 10-mile hike. My legs felt sore, my shoulders heavy, and yet, strangely, it felt good. Not the comfortable kind of good, but the kind that tells ...
Pope Francis: A Passing in Glory
Pope Francis came with a whisper, but his presence roared through our times. Rest in peace. Amen. I had just concluded my hours of prayer, the stillness that seeps deep into the soul. It was 4:20am EST, and I was about to shift into work mode—research paper open, books stacked ...
Easter Message: A Jubilee Reflection on the Power of Hope
It was still dark when Mary Magdalene walked to the tomb. It was not just the dimness of early morning but the kind of darkness overwhelming a grieving soul. Jesus had been crucified—hope, as she knew it, lay buried behind a heavy stone. But then, she saw. The stone had ...
The Spirituality of Feedback
A wise teacher said: "Every mark on your draft is a gift." When I first heard this, it felt like an attempt to soften the blow of a heavily annotated manuscript. But over the years, I've seen the truth in those words. Genuine, honest, generous feedback is not a correction ...
From Hosanna to the Cross: A Journey of Love
It began with joyful noise—hosanna—along those ancient streets where thousands now walk on pilgrimage. Palms waved. Cloaks were spread along the dusty road. Women and men chanted praises. Children played, ran, giggled, and reached out to touch what felt like glory passing by. The cries of “Hosanna! Blessed is the ...
Sacred Geometry and the Symbolism of Numbers
I stood like a dwarfed creature in the middle of the giant sequoias in California some months ago, watching the late sun throw golden shapes onto the woods. The impressive trees stood tall with elegant pride. And then it hit me—how orderly the world feels when we stop to observe ...
God Removes Our Shame
As I sat with the Word of God this Fourth Sunday of Lent, preparing for Mass, I came face to face with something I couldn’t ignore—the radical compassion of God. It leapt from the pages and found me. I saw it first in Joshua 5:9, where the Lord says to ...