What were you looking for, Peter? Were you looking for bread with all the rest, and so you followed this man, Jesus, because you knew that he could provide it? It seems there was something more in you, but even you did not know what it was.
Mine’s not hallelujah / The song I’m asked to sing / For silence calls / In echoing halls / And bells refuse to ring / So if you hear the chorus / That rises in my heart
Here is a proposal: simple but profound. It is actually impossible for us to avoid sin, insofar as avoiding sin is our end. A careful thinker will probably narrow his eyes incredulously at hearing this. After all, "impossible" is a strong word...
What were you looking for, Peter? That day out there on the lake, what were you hoping to find? You were a fisherman searching for fish. You worked all night, dropping nets into the dark, hoping to find something you couldn't see. Every time you threw that net...
This is an excerpt from St. John’s book Dark Night of the Soul. Text edited by Ambrose Bean. Audio edited by Stephen Bean.
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 it is safe to say that a similar pattern can be seen throughout the whole Western world today. It has become increasingly difficult to deny that Catholics are faltering with their mission to make disciples of all nations...
What is our job, as Catholics, when our nation tumbles into chaos, violence, and political mayhem? This is a fair question to ask, especially for anyone living in the United States these days. Unfortunately I do not hear a lot of people asking it. Everyone seems to think they know exactly what their job is. [...]
In a very low place With very little light A man was found By God with might Who dared descend And garments rend Seeing his child With none to defend And did that man Escape that place? Owing to strength In human race?
Hear the words of St. Paul: “rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:4-7).
I whipped him, and I slashed him And I stabbed him, and I kicked him And I mocked him, and I nailed him And I wouldn’t give up And I wouldn’t stop Not even when he cried out to God But then I paused… Because then I could see… That when he cried out to God… He cried out…for me?
