May 10, 2024 | A Word to Enkindle, Fr. John Bayer
At Cistercian, we had an incredible view of the total eclipse on April 8.
April 23, 2024 | A Word to Enkindle, Fr. Thomas Esposito
“How not to think about discernment” by Fr. Thomas for Texas Catholic. A short story frequently read in middle school English classes is “The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton. The tale describes in detail an ancient king’s barbaric but...
April 12, 2024 | A Word to Enkindle, Fr. John Bayer
“Strive in Christ: The journey of Lent and Easter” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. Lent is a season dedicated to conversion. It is a period of self-reflection, resolution, and anticipation. We must change our ways and grow. Easter is dedicated to...
April 4, 2024 | A Word to Enkindle, Fr. Thomas Esposito
I was deeply impressed by the answer a fellow priest gave recently to a question that I ponder frequently. When asked to name one unifying cause for the troubles that plague us as American Catholics, he simply said, “I think we try to avoid suffering at any cost.”
March 18, 2024 | A Word to Enkindle, Fr. John Bayer
“Drawing life from the side of Jesus” by Fr. John for The Texas Catholic. I’ve celebrated several baptisms lately, and I think I’ve realized something beautiful about the sacraments: We come to new life through a mystical embrace, through sacramental...
February 29, 2024 | A Word to Enkindle, Fr. Thomas Esposito
No easy interpretation of Genesis 22 exists. The account of God’s test of Abraham is truly awe-ful. It gives us no psychological insights into the heart of Abraham or Isaac, and the sparse narrative details — the three days’ journey, the binding of Isaac upon the altar, the dramatic angelic intervention to stay Abraham’s knife — are terrifying in their raw simplicity. Yet these verses offer wondrous cause for meditation on the mystery of sacrifice.