Fasting is far more than just an obligation or even a discipline; it is connected with the very mystery of life and death, of salvation and damnation. “Fasting is a medicine.” — St. John Chrysostom “The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” — Matthew 9:15 [...]
The 1928 Book of Common Prayer is an important cultural artifact, whose influence on English language and literature rivals that of the Authorized Version of the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare. You will recall Parson Thwackum in Henry Fielding’s classic novel History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749). Mr. (never, in proper ecclesiastical usage, Reverend) Thwackum [...]
If you still get distracted in prayer, still get angry unreasonably, still dread lots of tasks that you should be doing—take your focus off the feelings. Instead, ask yourself: do I know what I should be doing? If not, pray to God to show you. Two truths of the Christian life: First, self-reflection is a [...]
Day in and day out, Mario sat begging for alms. Whether in the heat of a Roman summer or during the humid wintry days, he would sit patiently outside the seminary gate atop the Janiculum Hill. Every morning as I left for class, the routine was the same: “Buongiorno, Mario. Tutto bene?” With a kind [...]
By his own testimony, Christ came that we might live fully (John 10:10). Anything less seems a waste. And I want to live. I want to really live. I don’t want to live for things that, ultimately, don’t fulfill. I want to live for those things that never fade (1 Cor 9:24-26). Living isn’t ultimately about accomplishments, experiences, [...]
Death must come some time; this world isn’t our home, only a kind of hotel where our rooms will be wanted sooner or later for somebody else; life is meant to be only a span of time, and a comparatively short one. When I say it’s meant to be, I am, of course, assuming the [...]
Footwear will pass away, along with the earth and seas. But, before that time when we can kick off these old shoes, the cobbler needs to earn his daily wage. The shoe must be worn down, being about the Lord’s business. Forma Vitae: An Essay on the Dominican Life A “forma vitae” essay is meant [...]
While there is a good deal of cant about how paying higher taxes is “patriotic,” most people instinctively recoil from taxes and don’t hesitate to avoid paying any more than they have to. So, is taxation moral? Income tax season is mostly over. For our family it just ended a week ago when the IRS [...]
Plato wrote his Allegory of the Cave about the journey from ignorance to true philosophy, but I think his allegory fits another journey even better: the journey of the Christian life. Plato tells a curious story in his Republic. It goes like this: Many people are chained up, head to toe, in the deepest, darkest part [...]
In this month of May—as the days slowly grow warmer and leaves steadily fill the trees—take some advice from the plants. Root your moral life in the firm soil of steady habits—morning prayers, healthy eating, evening reading—and let them do their thing. Trust me, you’ll see a difference. Just don’t expect it tomorrow. I planted [...]
We see the mystery of our salvation worked out in the hands of Christ the Carpenter. We see in his craft the pattern of what it means to follow Christ. Our chapel has become a workshop. The scaffolds and smells of restoration work fill the nave and sanctuary. The high altar, veiled beneath a plastic [...]
Tell me, when you’ve “had words” with somebody, isn’t there usually a chance, before the next time you go to confession, of saying some kind word, doing some trifling service, which will obliterate the memory of your quarrel without the need of referring to it? That is what Jesus Christ wants you to do. Pastoral [...]
As fallen human beings, we live with the threat of sin and temptation, and we can easily choose to follow these rather than Christ. Sins become the “pharaohs” in our lives—those thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions that are foreign to a life in Christ. Like the Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, these sins know not [...]
What is the most important thing in your life? What would you do if God asked you to give it up? For some it might mean surrendering a talent: a beautiful voice or the world’s most accurate free-throw. For others it might be a loved one. For still others it might be their freedom. Imagine [...]