There is a lot of junk out there, from secular and Catholic sources alike. In the modern world, we are constantly arguing and worrying, talking past one another, and focusing on so many things that cannot save our souls. The constant barrage of noise distracts our minds, enters our hearts, and disturbs our sense of peace. We experience brief moments of escape in our lives when the rising tide of politics, contention, and pride recedes temporarily. Then all too soon… back into the fray. This distressing situation would be more tolerable if we, as Catholics, were exclusively fighting the secular world, but this is not the case. More often than not, we are fighting ourselves. We have lost our identity, and we no longer agree on who we are or what we ought to do. As a Church, we “are anxious and troubled about many things,” and we have almost entirely forgotten that only “one thing is needful” (Lk 10:41-42).
What we need to do is look at Christ. We need to make a place for him. We need to stop arguing and start listening. Our success or failure in the coming decades will depend upon our ability to rekindle our faith by contemplating the words and deeds of Christ. If we immerse ourselves in the Gospel narrative and approach the mystery of the person of Christ with humility, perhaps we will find revival, both in our own souls and the world at large. Modernity is a dark city street, and there is no room for Jesus in the inn. Let us make a place for him, in this one little corner of the world, this one little remnant of his Church!
Philosophy is Not the Solution
The Pew Research Center’s “Religious Landscape Study” has made it clear that the number of faithful Catholics in the United States is shrinking. The study focusses on the U.S., but…
Ep 13 – St. John of the Cross – Beginner’s Pride
This is an excerpt from St. John’s book Dark Night of the Soul. Text edited by Ambrose Bean. Audio edited by Stephen Bean.
Logos on an Afternoon
The green world gushes feeling, overflows meaning from a cup / And I, drinking deep, suffer yet that boundless desire / For the blood-red wine of the everlasting hills. /…