☧ Written for Those Catholic Men Last Christmas, my wife gave me a little gift for my newly grown beard: a two-ounce tin of beard balm from Catholic Balm Co. Not only was I excited to have something to tame what was then an unruly, course, and somewhat itchy face covering, I was also delighted … Continue reading Beard Balm and Daily Devotion
Husbands, Love Your Wives
☧ Written for Those Catholic Men. The beginning of fall marks the end of the summer wedding season, and as I see the photos of friends, acquaintances, and distant family members getting married, I can’t help but reflect on the classic Catholic wedding photo. The young couple is standing together looking overjoyed at the foot … Continue reading Husbands, Love Your Wives
Be the Custodian of Your Baptism
☧ Published on Those Catholic Men Baptism is a big deal in the Christian life, and for good reason. The Catechism states that baptism "is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments,'' (CCC 1213). This is pretty profound … Continue reading Be the Custodian of Your Baptism
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 an unwavering support in times of crisis; but since it is a form of … Continue reading Friendship
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
Quiet Desolation
☧ The following text was written by Lucie Christine, the pseudonym of the French mystic, Mathilde Bertrand-Boutlé. It tells of an experience of desolation that is somewhat difficult to notice. While not a state of complete and utter hopelessness, what she describes is a state that could be considered complacency, but it's deeper than that; … Continue reading Quiet Desolation
