Category Archives: spirituality

An Invitation Mirrored: Come and See

Posted on 13 April 2014 by

I noticed the line in last weekend’s Gospel, a repeat of an earlier invitation offered by the Lord. Earlier: The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, … Continue reading →

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Apocalyptic and Gnostic Things

Posted on 6 April 2014 by

It’s a phenomenon among bloggers, and looking back to 1998, it seems to have always been with many of us. While it can be easy enough to find online allies, it still serves some among us to look back decades … Continue reading →

Posted in spirituality, The Blogosphere | 2 Comments

Four, Nine, and Eleven

Posted on 1 April 2014 by

Those are good Gospel numbers for Lent. Sunday Mass this year features these great encounters with the Lord Jesus. As does the online Ignatian retreat for week 25. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it the other day. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Lectio Divina, Lent, Scripture, spirituality | Tagged | Leave a comment

Foreboding

Posted on 29 March 2014 by

Blogger Steve Skojec got a lot of attention for his Pope Francis skepticism this past Fall. I noticed on a blog aggregation site a link to this extended essay that kept him up half the night putting together. Look at … Continue reading →

Posted in spirituality, The Blogosphere | 3 Comments

Annunciation

Posted on 25 March 2014 by

Today is the second white feast of Lent. Christmas minus nine months. When the parishioner who oversees vestment dry cleaning came in for the “spring cleaning” Sunday, I remembered to have her save a white chasuble. Aside from white, the … Continue reading →

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Astronomy Conference

Posted on 25 March 2014 by

This looks interesting. The Vatican Observatory Foundation is offering a five-day conference in Tucson next January: What can modern astronomy tell us about creation – and its Creator? Guy Consolmagno, SJ, on it: Our hope is that this can become … Continue reading →

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Beyond Healing, Beyond Miracles

Posted on 19 March 2014 by

Recently in the Spiritual Exercises, I was exposed to a new way of viewing the healing miracles of Jesus. The Jesuit Larry Gillick asks, “What then?” The retreatant is encouraged to reflect at length on these experiences of healing. I … Continue reading →

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Abstinence

Posted on 17 March 2014 by

Okay, so I have a few questions about the Australians considering a restoration of year-round Friday abstinence from meat. Why do we need bishops to tell us when not to eat meat? The US bishops have advocated abstinence and fasting … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, spirituality | Tagged | 16 Comments

Mercy, Wide and Late

Posted on 9 March 2014 by

The concluding hymn at the parish struck me today in a way it has never done before. Two things. First, wideness, wideness, and kindness: There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea. There’s a kindness in … Continue reading →

Posted in Liturgical Music, Parish Life, spirituality | 3 Comments

I Don’t Want A Francis Effect

Posted on 6 March 2014 by

I put it in the headline to underscore I’m serious. Not cynical. Not making a funny. Cathy Lynn Grossman at RNS cites some Pew Research on Catholic thinking and behavior since last March 13th. Truthfully, I don’t want people showing … Continue reading →

Posted in bishops, Commentary, spirituality | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Long Retreat Begins

Posted on 5 March 2014 by

The forty days are counted from this coming Sunday through sundown on Holy Thursday. I often tell people that this week’s four days are a prelude, a practice period, and preparation space to get accustomed to the Lord’s voice and … Continue reading →

Posted in Lent, spirituality | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Riches, Honor, and What Was That Other … ?

Posted on 5 February 2014 by

I thought my internet foils would share a laugh on me, one of the things (aside from heterodoxy) I’m most often accused of. I was reflecting on week 17 of the online Ignatian retreat. I thought that week was a … Continue reading →

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Retreat Update

Posted on 4 January 2014 by

I’ve been continuing along in the online spiritual exercises. I’ve fallen a bit behind on the schedule. My director affirms this is acceptable, for the weeks when insights come slowly or my resistance is strong or when something good on … Continue reading →

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What Thirty Days Can Do

Posted on 3 January 2014 by

The Catholic Herald reported that a politician in the House of Commons came to her decision to retire from politics after a Thirty Day Ignatian retreat. MP Sarah Teather: Sometimes you just have to shut up. This politician just needed … Continue reading →

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The Long Psalms

Posted on 21 December 2013 by

The long psalms have been a curiosity to me ever since I first cracked open my mother’s Bible. Being a good Baptist, she referred to what is now my favorite book in the Scriptures as Psalms, and in her KJV, … Continue reading →

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