Proverbs, Parables, and the Voice of Christ
Hotdogs, Hospitality, and Holy Scripture
This morning I woke up listening to Joshua. The reading spoke of kings, cities, Jerusalem, and the conquest of Canaan. My first reaction was surprisingly simple: I had forgotten Jerusalem was originally a Canaanite city.
That led me down a rabbit hole into the Torah and an old Jewish teaching. The rabbis ask why the Torah begins with Genesis instead of the first commandment given to Israel. Their answer is practical. Genesis establishes that God is Creator, and therefore the land belongs to Him. The story is not merely spiritual reflection. It is also an accounting of covenant, inheritance, and promise.
Saint Paul VI — The Pope Who Carried Vatican II into the Church’s Hands
God Speaks First: Abraham, Melchizedek, and the Pattern of Communion
Before Abraham gives, before he receives the blessing, before Salem appears, God has already moved. This is the pattern of salvation: God calls, man responds, and faith is brought into communion.
There is a quiet pattern running through Scripture.
Saint Rita, Mirror of Spouses A Reflection on Her Life and How She Has Impacted Mine
Saint Rita, mirror of spouses, patroness of impossible causes, pray for us.
Pray for husbands and wives.
Pray for wounded families.
Pray for parents trying to raise children with peace.
Pray for those who carry hidden crosses in the home. Pray that we may forgive without becoming foolish, endure without becoming numb, and love without losing sight of truth.
And when the cause feels impossible, help us remember that nothing is impossible for God.
John 17, One Table, and the Meaning of Christian Unity
While reflecting on John 17 and a modern ecumenical movement centered on “one table,” I found myself wrestling with an important Catholic question: if unity never calls people deeper into truth, sacraments, and communion with Christ’s Church, is it truly charity? The Church calls us to dialogue and love, but also to clarity. Christian unity is not built merely around coexistence, but around truth, sanctification, and Christ Himself.
Saint Bernardine of Siena and the Interior Bonfire
Saint Bernardine of Siena reminds us that every Catholic home needs an interior bonfire. Not only a cleaning of the house, but a clearing of the mind, imagination, habits, and influences that quietly form us. In an age of advertising, gambling, public image, and endless distraction, his witness calls fathers and families to place the Holy Name of Jesus back at the center.