Opening the Word: Hidden mystery

In a fallen world, power wins. Laws are passed in favor of abortion, against the immigrant and criminalizing the homeless because the powerful exert their will over the weak. There are winners, and there are losers. It’s better to win. Yet divine

Opening the Word: Restored communion

As with any created good, the family can become an idol. We demand a love from our children that they cannot give. We seek a communion with our spouse that is impossible for any person to provide. This idolatry of the family

Opening the Word: Eucharistic comedy

When I hear the word “comedy,” I’m tempted to think about the hilarity of Will Farrell or Adam Sandler. This temptation reduces the comic to the absurd or laughable. Yet, that’s not the only meaning of the word comedy. Comedy in literature

Opening the Word: Sweet doctrine

The 20th century American philosopher John Dewey was no fan of “dogmatic” thinking. To be dogmatic for Dewey was to give up suppleness of mind, excluding the possibilities of new experience. It was to hold onto something that explained away the mystery

Opening the Word: God chose us

Pride is the downfall of the human race. It’s the sin where we imagine in our hearts that God has chosen us because of how remarkable we are. We tell ourselves that we alone are the worthy ones, the righteous ones, the

Opening the Word: To bear bold fruit

Saul isn’t trustworthy. He isn’t trustworthy to the early disciples who had experienced the fruits of his persecution. The apostles wisely ask Barnabas to escort Saul to them so that they can test the validity of his conversion. And Saul, now to

The martyr shepherd

Good Shepherd Sunday is not for the faint of heart. Sure, it’s consoling to contemplate Jesus as the shepherd who seeks out the lost sheep. He finds us caught in the thistles of our wayward hearts, lifting us up and taking us

Opening the Word: Encountering Christ

To be Catholic means entering into a personal relationship with Christ. It is a matter of encounter. But what is the precise nature of this encounter? During Easter, we contemplate what it means to encounter the risen Lord. The disciples are gathered