Wisdom, Life, and Being Towards Death

When reading Scripture on my own impulse or in service of the needs of my academic work, I am much more of a “New Testament guy” [plus Genesis, a bit …

Humanity: A History of Bad Habits

One of the first lessons I teach my students – in classes that make use of sacred texts – is that however much our lifestyles and technologies have changed, the …

Briefly Revisiting Catholic Solidarity

Our necessary interdependence, our essence as social beings, our responsibility to act in solidarity with and for our neighbors—these are teachings to which the Spirit had brought me long before my conversion. For …

Fiat Voluntas Tua

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Of the Seven Petitions in the Our Father, it this …

Catholic Social Teaching and Noblesse Oblige

I have a relative, let’s call her “Kimmy,” who recently moved to Texas to pursue a relationship with a man she met online. Now don’t get ahead of me, this …

Freedom & Faith vs. Decadence & Dithering

I suspect this will be a controversial post. Nevertheless, I believe there is a good motivation behind what follows, as it comes from a genuine desire to explore “the moral and spiritual …

“Amen, amen, I say to you…”

When I say “amen” at the end of a prayer, what am I really saying?

Temples of the Holy Spirit

When we think of a temple in its most common, worldly form, what images come to mind? If you’re at all like me, the first response of imagination is to …

Christology Low and High: Dafoe vs. Powell

Once more into the world of Catechist Formation: from a course on Christology.

Jesus and Moses through the Gospel according to John

Part of my work in Catechist Formation includes Scriptural exploration and interpretation. This week we focused on John’s Gospel and I put together the following in response to an assignment prompt…