Image from Getty Images
The Grace of Recognition
Today’s Gospel is one in a series of post-resurrection appearances of Jesus that nearly always follow a similar pattern. The risen Jesus appears quite unexpectedly—on the shore, in the garden,…
Image from the Met Museum, New York. Public Domain.
Freudeschaden
English speakers have adopted the German Schadenfreude to name the enjoyment (Freude) we derive from other’s struggles and misfortune (Schaden). I’m ashamed that I occasionally experience this vicious delight at…
Image from the Met Museum, New York. Public Domain.
The Joy of Being Wrong
I’ve profited greatly from a book called The Joy of Being Wrong by the theologian James Alison. After ten years of spiritual direction, I’ve never heard such a succinct and…
Image from Getty Images
New Life in Christ
With the emphasis during Lent on the Sacraments of Initiation and the welcoming of new members, the Liturgy of the Word during the last three weeks emphasizes themes of healing…
Image from the Met Museum, New York. Public Domain.
Infused by Grace
In recent decades, science has unveiled an amazing finding: Fetal cells and DNA from a growing baby can be found in a mother’s body not only during but well after…
Image from Wikimedia Commons
As the Parable Turns
The Prodigal Son has the makings of a soap opera—selfishness, blatant disrespect, wanton dissipation, jealousy, resentment, and alienation. No wonder Scripture scholar Luke Timothy Johnson calls this parable a virtual…
Image from Getty Images
Let Prayer Flow
My father converted to Catholicism when I was in the third grade. I remember how proud I was and eager to help. After all, I had three years studying Catholicism…
Illustration by Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana. Used with permission.
Many Kinds of Hunger
We’re forty-eight hours into Lent. How is our fasting going? We might feel pangs of hunger, a craving for a Whopper or the Oreo cookies we stashed in a drawer…
Image from the Met Museum, New York. Public Domain.
Life is Not a Competitive Game
“For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.” I wonder how often that thought enters into our thinking. While Christ taught that the last…
Illustration by Br. Martin Erspamer, OSB, a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Indiana. Used with permission.
Presence and Process
Today’s Gospel is a story about eyes and sight. But it is also about hands and touch. The word “hand” is mentioned three times in just four verses. The first…
