God has appointed us to bear fruit. In the spiritual life, it can be hard to judge whether we are blossoming or wilting, so often trapped in isolated thoughts and feelings. Jesus, however, stands as our […]
Lent shouldn’t be necessary. That’s what St. Benedict of Nursia, the great father of monks, thought, at least. Jesus commanded us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. In response, Benedict thought the […]
We often ask what God wants for us. Even if he doesn’t often tell us the details, we can be sure, whatever our vocation, location, time in history, personality and gifts, that he desires us […]
In his Rule, St. Benedict remarks that a monastery is never without guests. Though he wrote this line 1,500 years ago, the monastery remains alluring even for modern visitors. The monks leave the normal course of […]
Jesus told us we must “seek first the kingdom,” but where should we find it? In the ancient world, St. Antony the Great inspired thousands to follow him into the desert, seeking solitude to focus […]
We keep things in discreet categories in our culture. Religion too often remains within the church’s walls, kept apart from the forces that drive society. That’s a large reason why we have secularized the festivity […]
Where would we be now without the first Christmas? 2025 years ago, God became man, and it changed everything. We take the beloved manger scene for granted, but what if there was no creche with […]
Each generation must fight the battle anew. After watching the Berlin Wall fall in 1989, it seemed like Communism was on its heels. Today, it continues to spread and has become more assertive through China’s […]
“You were without hope in the world.” This is how Paul describes the Ephesian Christians before their conversion, stuck in the darkness of sin and paganism. Idols expressed their hope for material security, embodying their […]
Winds of about 30 miles an hour, I read, checking the weather the evening of September 26th. The next morning, after a calm hour of prayer, my wife and I watched something very different transpire: […]
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