A nation founded on thanksgiving. Only because of Edward Winslow’s letter do we know of the first American thanksgiving turkey dinner in 1621. Mayflower passenger Winslow, was the leader of the Plymouth colony and would later serve three tems as governor of Massachusetts. Certifying the astoundingly friendly alliance beteen the Indianss and English colonists, Winslow […]
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I wrote this article over two years ago. This looming election begs for reflection on our nation and its unarguably providential origins. And so biographer David McCoullough’s words warrant meditation. We should kneel down in gratitude! McCoullough’s comment, “We should kneel down in gratitude!” applies, of course, to more than the personage of George Washington.
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Reclaiming the joy of wonder There are some weeks, like the one that just ended, where the end of the week looms. And still, I’ve no idea what to write about. But when I spied another lecture from the Institute of Catholic Culture:. Let them be reborn in wonder. my interest peaked, due to the
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The time is running out The liturgy for Wednesday morning eerily fit the twenty-third anniversary of 9/11. A day that seemed to change everything but In reality accelerated the forces that were already set in motion. Like all first-century Christians, Paul was certain that this world was ending. I tell you, brothers, the time is
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Goal of education Although it was a zillion years ago, I well recall my casual summer date’s, “Why liberal arts? What can you do with a degree in English literature?” In just a month, I was moving to Houston to work my way through college for a degree in English literature. I’d spent three years
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Maintaining the integrity of words isn’t my phrase. But that of Bishop Erik Varden and expresses a belief that is dear to my heart. Why do I think it so dear that it warrants 800 words? Even as a kid, I loved words. The process of learning to use words that perfectly encapsulated worlds of
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The shame and blame game: the anatomy of sin Some books are worth reading over and over again. Karol Wojtyla’s–Pope John Paul ll’s– A Sign of Contradiction is one of those unique texts. Recently, I read A Sign of Contradiction for the third or maybe the fifth time. The book compiles Wojtyla’s meditations for the
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Stir into flame Saint Paul’s Letter to Timothy from last week’s Christian liturgy feels directed to each of the 8.1 billion living souls in this June of 2024. Although there’s controversy about authorship and dates of these letters, orthodox concensus declares it as Paul’s last letter. He writes to his successor in Ephesus, from prison.
Salvador Dali 1958 Ascension of Jesus- courtesy phillip chiripop Where did Jesus go: Come Holy Spirit! I became a new creation that Thursday evening in early September at Saint Benedict’s Abbey. The journey had been arduous and long, but I’d finally found home. After receiving the sacraments necessary for full communion in the Catholic Church,
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Death, Hope, Heaven, What are we here for, anyway? In my pre-Catholic ‘pagan’ years, I worried about death. Mostly because I feared standing before a God I did not think I believed in and explaining why I had wasted knowledge, understanding, and time. After twenty years as a Catholic, I would like to think that
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