All of us long for freedom. We long to be free from the constraints that keep us from becoming the people we are meant to be. We long for the freedom to lead joyful, fulfilling, purpose-filled lives. However, sometimes we seek an illusory freedom that is more akin to destructive self-indulgence or judgmental self-justification. What, then, is true freedom from…
Pondering the ultimate realities of death and eternal life may come naturally with the approach of mid-autumn and All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The fragility and imperfections of life on this earth are realities that may impinge upon our consciousness in a particular way at this time. All of us are vulnerable; all of us are broken in body, mind, and soul; all of are moving toward death in a manner that is largely out of…
My current wrist watch, like some of my previous watches, tends to lose time gradually, perhaps a fraction of a second each day. I measure its accuracy by our church bells since when I am at the organ I must finish playing the prelude before the 5:00 bell for Vespers. Now, I can easily grow accustomed to the watch‘s being slow; one day the bell will ring at 4:59:55, then a few days later at 4:45:50, and some days later at 4:59:30. Of course, I could move the hands up a minute at any time…
Truth is a commodity that is sometimes difficult to find in our society. The media regularly mislead us by promising happiness through the purchase of various products and services, whose benefits are highly overstated. The very use of language has been distorted in subtle ways to deceive both speakers and hearers. Instead of acknowledging the actual brutality of abortion, people may speak of “termination of pregnancy”; instead of admitting the sinfulness and destructiveness of fornication, people may refer to “companionship,” “significant relationship,” or other euphemistic misnomers. All of us can be caught up to some extent by such insidiously distorting terminology. Commitment to…
Our materialistic world tempts us to acquire as many possessions and pleasures as we possibly can. Subtle but powerful psychological appeals urge us to become attached to particular brands of food, clothes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and cars so that we may keep buying more and more, desiring more and more, and thus having no time or energy to ponder the deeper meaning of life. In contrast, Christ lovingly but sternly exhorts us, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in My footsteps. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses…
Most of you who are Oblates are familiar with the oft-quoted verse from the Rule stating that “the life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent” (49:1). That gem of wisdom also applies to every Christian insofar as we all need to struggle relentlessly against sinful tendencies, live in a spirit of compunction of heart and repentance, and perform those penances that will open the way to God’s healing, transforming graces. It has also been said that the life of a Christian can be regarded as a continual Advent; that is, every Christian, placing his hope in God alone, trusts in His promises and waits longingly for their fulfillment. The notion…
God often lets us be thrown off balance,
but He never leaves us without His sustaining
presence and the grace to remain firmly rooted in
His love. This past June I went away for five
whole days to give a retreat, and on my return to
the Archabbey I bemoaned the fact that my usual
control over my work load was in shambles.
Furthermore, a few days after my return I was
asked to move the Oblate Office from Roderick
202 to Leander 116. When I initially heard the
news, I appropriately responded, “Yes, of course…
How much time and energy we spend trying to overcome suffering! Human remedies sometimes do bring us significant relief, and these can indeed be mediated gifts from God. In most cases, however, there is no lasting remedy despite all the powers of science and technology. In our pilgrimage of faith we know that the only ultimate consolation for our suffering comes from the Cross, whereby Christ compassionately unites us with Himself and shares our every suffering, and the Resurrection, whereby Christ gives us victory over sin, death, and discouragement and gives us new life in communion with Him. One of the means for our participation in this victory is mutual encouragement in the love of Christ..
Looking back on our experience of the Christmas Season, we might do well to consider what, if anything, brought us genuine joy during our celebration of Christ’s nativity. Most likely, it was not elaborate decorations, festive food, or material gifts. These elements of Christmas celebrations surely can contribute to our entering into the joyful mystery of the Incarnation, but in and of themselves they cannot provide true and lasting joy. In fact, they can engender disappointment and perhaps even depression if one has put hopes in the material dimension of Christmas, which is so overemphasized in the media…
