“What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? … I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.” (Ps. 116:12, 17)The American holiday of Thanksgiving is a wonderful reminder of...
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Halloween, Holiness, and Happiness
As Halloween approaches, I think about candy and haunted houses, Trick or Treat and the color orange, spooky decorations, and the World Series. But perhaps I need to be reminded that Halloween originated as a celebration of All Hallow’s Eve, the day before we...
The Beauty Beyond the Fall
Psalm 90:10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. This October marks ten years since I lost one...
Life Without Limits
Recently, in my sixth decade, I moved cross-country to begin a second master’s degree program. It certainly wasn’t my idea (but God’s!) to uproot my flourishing life, filled with the warmth, sunshine, and outdoor activities in Phoenix and sequester myself in study...
Unless a Grain of Wheat Shall Fall
From The Body and Reverence.Illustrated by Gary Undercuffler When I was a teenager, I worked 70 hours a week during the summer at Continental Grain Company in Ft. Worth so that I was able to pay my way through Nolan Catholic High School. At Continental Grain, I became...
Returning to the Garden
For most Americans, the month of September marks a turning point where the fall season is in clear sight – leaves slowly begin turning colors, the morning air has a subtle unmistakable crispness, and social media fills with friends’ shameless promotions of pumpkin...
Hungry for Reality
At my last haircut, the stylist relayed her excitement from her family’s recent experience of using a virtual reality (VR) headset. Now first, for any fellow elder Millennials out there (i.e., those older than their twenties) who feel out of touch with the times, a VR...
Freedom: Burden or Gift? What We Can Learn from St. John Paul II
The recent celebration of Independence Day is an opportunity to reflect upon our country’s great esteem for the value of freedom. Here, one does not need to be a scholar or historian to recognize that the idea of freedom has undergone—or I should more accurately...
Spiritual Priesthood for Every Man
Twenty-some years ago, I was flying back from speaking in the Caribbean when God suddenly decided to speak to me. Sometimes, when God invades my being so personally, I cry profusely. This was one of those times. As we flew over the turquoise-blue water of the Bahamas,...
Learning to Imitate God the Father
From The Body Is Good In June, we take time to honor and appreciate fathers in a special way; it is fitting that we take a moment to consider the real significance of fatherhood. For many, the notion of fatherhood has become an increasingly outdated and uncomfortable...