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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Eating together, as a social event, is meant to be time-consuming because it is meant to be an intimate experience where friendship—true friendship—is experienced, rekindled, and love stands at the center of the dinner table. It is, in its own way, a call to sacrifice. Aristotle identified man’s eating habits as one of the cornerstones of civilization—one [...]
The ordinary times of our lives are not simply ordinary. The Christian tradition has always shown that every time is touched by Christ. As Christians, we offer our time back to Christ as spiritual worship. The ordinariness of Ordinary Time is setting in—not just liturgically, but even culturally. The wreaths are gone, the crèches are [...]
This Advent season does not center on our achievement; it is not the time of puffing ourselves up, but of waiting for God to reveal, as only God can, the new thing under the sun that breaks the great cycle of vanity. The greatest things are born from humility. There is something essentially comic about [...]
All serious Christian believers have an obligation to support those who are fighting for the truth in their own communions. We ought to take our cue from St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican who became Catholic, and who still engaged with other Christians—not only about doctrinal differences, but also about areas of agreement. The tiny [...]
In hearing the Bible read, the Word takes flesh before us and changes the souls of those who hear it. David Suchet’s delivery in his audiobook version combines force and gentleness. Never do you sense that he is simply doing a celebrity gig, or offering the Bible as a literary monument; he truly believes in [...]
If you are not praying, try to pray irregularly. If you are irregularly praying, try to pray regularly. If you are regularly praying, try to pray a bit more. And remember that wherever you are spiritually, God has not moved. It may seem obvious, but the first thing to say about the pursuit of deeper [...]
In a season of disharmony, discord, distrust, and disorder, it is often painful to stop, to pause, and to give oneself distance enough to consider what must be recognized as good, and true, and beautiful, even in what seems a cesspool of existence. To give thanks, though, is not only necessary, it is salubrious! In [...]