One of the most well-known Gospel verses is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This passage captures one of God’s most defining attributes: generosity and selflessness. What an incredibly generous and selfless act on God’s part to give us his only Son, Jesus, who, in turn, gave his life for us on the […]
Some people fix things for a living: cars, teeth, HVAC systems, plumbing, legal issues, electrical problems, and so on. Many others repair things as a hobby: furniture restoration, auto repairs and restoration, gardening, sewing, and so on. There is something innately pleasing about either repairing something or seeing something get repaired. It’s as if something is restored to the “way God intended it to be!” The truth is, God has spent (and continues to spend) […]
Often, we come to know someone’s “true colors” as a result of an experience with that person in which he or she speaks and acts in a significant manner. For the Jewish people enslaved in Egypt, they came to know God and his true colors as a result of the Exodus/Passover experience, when God revealed his overflowing compassion for an oppressed people. Throughout Scripture, we find compassion to be a defining attribute of God, as […]
I firmly believe that 12-step practices can teach us much about spirituality and, specifically, prayer. In this episode of Pop-Up Prayer, I ask Jean Heaton, author of Helping Families Recover from Addiction: Coping, Growing, and Healing through 12-Step Practices and Ignatian Spirituality, to share some insights about how each of us can find strength in prayer when we find ourselves at “the end of our rope” and experiencing powerlessness. For more information about 12-step practices […]
What does the doctrine of the Trinity have to do with our everyday living? Quite a bit, actually! We are all made in the image and likeness of God, and our God just happens to be a community of Persons. In other words, one of God’s defining attributes is relationality. God reveals himself to us as a community of three Persons—the Trinity—whose love is so great and so intimate that God is One. We can […]
Scripture never tells us that money and possessions are evil. However, Scripture does warn us, over and over, that money and possessions are dangerous. Why? Because they can subtly insert themselves between us and God. They can act as mirages that lead us away from the true source of fulfillment: divine grace. As we continue to reflect briefly on the steps from my book, 8 Steps to Energize Your Faith, I invite you to reflect […]
When we think of going on vacation, we usually think of a place where we can spend a lot of time outdoors. Even when we are at work, we often look for an opportunity to step outside and get some fresh air. There is something regenerative about being outdoors. As we continue to reflect briefly on the steps from my book, 8 Steps to Energize Your Faith, I invite you to reflect on step two: […]
It’s common for adults, when observing little children running around and playing games, to say, “If I had even half of their energy, I’d be happy!” We do, indeed, seek to be energized, both physically and spiritually. Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing brief videos based on my book, 8 Steps to Energize Your Faith, designed to provide concrete suggestions for tapping into divine energy. Step one is: Create something! Be sure to […]
For some time now, I have been sharing thoughts here on Catechist’s Journey about catechists as mystagogues—people who invite and lead others into the Paschal Mystery. Recently, I came across a metaphor from Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ, that I believe illustrates the difference between being solely a teacher and being a mystagogue when it comes to passing along a spiritual tradition: A wise Jesuit friend once told me that tradition should act more like a […]
Pain is an unavoidable part of life, and the Gospel does not promise avoidance of pain but rather, a way through it. As catechists, we are inviting those we teach to enter into the Paschal Mystery, which is a journey through the pain, suffering, and Death of Jesus Christ that leads to new life in his Resurrection. It is a journey through pain to new life! With that in mind, I invite you to join […]
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