☧ Shorter version published on Those Catholic Men and Catholic Exchange. A few weeks ago after having recently defended our Master's theses, my wife, several of our friends, and I were out at the good ol' bar district across the street from our university celebrating the conclusion of years of hard work. There are quite a few … Continue reading Fraternal Correction
“If I But Touch His Clothes”
☧ The following is a passage from the gospel of Mark: One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” He went off with … Continue reading “If I But Touch His Clothes”
Craft Beer and Distributism
☧ Published on Those Catholic Men. What's the deal with craft beer? Why does everyone suddenly love craft beer? How can it be that in 1978, there were 89 breweries in the US, but now, there are over 5,300? Why are microbreweries, craft beer companies, and brewpubs opening left and right? Why has production by … Continue reading Craft Beer and Distributism
Lukewarmness
☧ Published on Those Catholic Men Lukewarmness is an inescapable temptation of the Christian faithful, and every person in every vocation at every stage of life must deal with it at one time or another. It can come as a consequence of making God a central part of our daily lives, a consequence of making … Continue reading Lukewarmness
Friendship
☧ Friendship is a major part of human life. It is in our nature to have friends and to build a community with people that we enjoy spending time with. Friendship can bring great joy, a fulfilling sense of trust, and unwavering support in times of crisis; but since it is a form of love, … Continue reading Friendship
Christ Is Risen!
Truly, He is risen! ☧ Happy Easter! I'd just like to leave a brief post for today. This is the Entrance Antiphon for today's Mass: I have risen, and I am with you still, alleluia. You have laid your hand upon me, alleluia. Too wonderful for me, this knowledge, alleluia, alleluia. Human language falls silent … Continue reading Christ Is Risen!
To Fulfill What Had Been Written
☧ Last night, we celebrated the Lord's Passion. We read the Passion story according to John, and in his account, he mentions "fulfillment" on five different occasions. As we were reading this, it re-occurred to me how prophetical this whole ordeal was and must necessarily have been. But even more, it occurred to me what … Continue reading To Fulfill What Had Been Written
Sheol and Lent
☧ Sheol is a Hebrew word in Judaism which describes the place where those who have died are congregated; it can be translated into English as "pit" or "abyss"1, and is described in the New Testament (in Greek) as Hades which is then translated into the English word "Hell". In short, Sheol is equivalent to Hades which is equivalent to … Continue reading Sheol and Lent
Premonition Has Two Sides
Premonition I’ve wanted to do one of these daily prompt posts ever since I started this blog - sometimes I look at it, write a few lines, hit a roadblock, and delete everything. Well today is different; I’m going to write about this one. The word today is “premonition”. Now, I won’t try to pretend … Continue reading Premonition Has Two Sides
The Wounds of Humanity Don’t Belong to Us
☧ There is no doubt there is suffering in the world. Indeed, it's very nearly the defining quality of life on earth. It is through the broken hopelessness that touches each one of us that we are dragged into spiritual desolation. This oppression knows no boundaries; it does not respect the class system, wealth, race, … Continue reading The Wounds of Humanity Don’t Belong to Us