A Word to Enkindle
Wilderness and the Dynamics of Conversion
A Word to Enkindle, March 28, 2022
This Lent I’m studying the “wilderness” or “desert” in Scripture, and especially in the journey of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. The dangerous wild is a powerful image for the spiritual life, and it plays a large part in the lives of figures like Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, John the Baptist and Jesus. What about in yours?
Exile and home in the human condition
A Word to Enkindle, March 15, 2022
A curious pattern of exile is evident in the endings of several Old Testament books. After God promises Abram the land of Canaan, the patriarch must immediately flee to Egypt because of a famine (Genesis 12); his descendants, the sons of Jacob, repeat the expedition for the same reason (Genesis 42-47). The final word of Genesis, “Egypt,” ominously foreshadows the drama of slavery and liberation narrated in the second biblical book. The conclusion of Deuteronomy features Moses dying before he can lead the Israelites across the Jordan River (Deuteronomy 34:1-12). The Pentateuch, therefore, finishes with the Israelites, having sojourned for 40 years as the entire generation who left Egypt perishes in the wilderness, outside the land.
The expanding heart that casts out fear
A Word to Enkindle, February 15, 2022
St. Benedict concludes the Prologue of his Rule for monks with an uplifting exhortation: “Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts expanding with the inexpressible delight of love.” For Benedict, the monastic life is a school in which the monks, who graduate only at death, never cease learning how to love the Lord. The relentless rigors of work and prayer stretch the heart, pushing it outward and generating an ever-greater capacity to love and be loved.
Renewing the joyful gift of Catholic schools
A Word to Enkindle, February 05, 2022
Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 this year) is a time to reflect on the gift of Catholic education and to support the many men and women who work so hard to offer that education to children throughout the world.
Awaken the sleeping Lord in your boat!
A Word to Enkindle, January 21, 2022
Near the end of March 2020, the peoples of virtually all nations were enduring the first of many months of enforced isolation and the specter of sickness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At that precise moment, Pope Francis organized a worldwide hour of adoration, and offered the suffering faithful a sorely needed word of hope.
On synodality and the ‘listening church’
A Word to Enkindle, January 12, 2022
On synodality and the ‘listening church’ by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. You’ve likely heard that Bishop Burns called for a diocesan synod. You’ve probably also heard that Pope Francis called for the Church to reflect on “synodality” as the very “path … which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” But […]
Remember your dignity as Advent begins
A Word to Enkindle, November 30, 2021
“Remember your dignity as Advent begins” by Fr. Thomas for Texas Catholic. Greek philosophers centuries before Christ acknowledged the immense mystery of our being human. Man, they said, is a microcosm, a condensed universe, containing in himself the vast expanse of height and depth, glory and misery, perceived in the intricacies and infinities of the created […]
Evaluating Globalization with St. Benedict
A Word to Enkindle, November 12, 2021
“Evaluating Globalization with St. Benedict” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. One of the hot topics in political discourse today is globalization – that is, the tendency for the world population to become more integrated, or at least more technologically connected. Some people see this tendency as a threat to local communities, while others […]
The Sabbath Rest is for you, not God
A Word to Enkindle, November 12, 2021
“The Sabbath Rest is for you, not God” by Fr. Thomas for Texas Catholic. “On the seventh day, God completed the work He had been doing; He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had undertaken. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all […]
Seeing Stress in Light of the Gospel
A Word to Enkindle, October 14, 2021
“Seeing Stress in Light of the Gospel” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. Lots of us say we’re stressed. What is stress? According to the American Psychological Association, we can distinguish two kinds, one positive (eustress) and the other negative (distress). Positive stress is what we feel when we stand before a challenge that […]