The Life of Virtue

In today’s Gospel , Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah: “Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes….”  At the first reading of this passage, I immediately begin searching for “those people” who are blind and deaf to God’s revelation.  Yet, in a split second, God reveals something deeper.  Instead of looking for “those people,” I should be examining my own soul to take stock of the ways that I have been blind and deaf to the ways that He wants me to grow. There very well may be other people in my life who cannot and do not hear and see God’s message.  However, God wants me to realize that I have allowed many obstacles to my fulfillment and happiness; and that these are often more difficult to remove.  I must remember that Jesus teaches me to remove the beam in my own eye before trying to remove the splinters in others’ eyes (cf. Matthew 7:5).  I need to recall first that mine are the eyes that c...

A young, indie-pop band called Ocean Park Standoff has recently released a hit single entitled “Good News.”  With catchy beats and lyrics, the song draws in its listeners from the opening notes.  Still, there is a greater value to this song than its potential to climb music charts. About the motivation for writing the song, one of the band members remarks, "It was about our daily lives and breakups and work issues and the fact that everything coming at us from the outside world was like, 'It's only getting worse!' because that's what sells."  Indeed, the human heart cries out for good news in the midst of the mundane and in the midst of suffering.  The answer, however, does not lie in what we can do for ourselves, in the power or positive thinking.  This song should remind all of us that we need more than that.  This song is a cry for a deeper relationship with the Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Many of the lyrics point the listener in ...

We are celebrating the Octave of Easter!  During this octave, the Church gives us wonderful scripture readings, specifically from the Acts of the Apostles, and we proclaim that death no longer has power over us.  Knowing this reality, and hearing these readings, our souls should feel great and grand this week.  We know that Jesus has won the victory, and now we get to participate in it! In today's reading ( Wednesday of the Octave of Easter ), a crippled man made a monetary request of Peter.  "I have neither silver nor gold," he replied, but he did not end the exchange there.  Peter recognized in that moment that money was not the only thing that the crippled man needed, and money was not the only thing that he could give. So, he continued: "but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk" (Acts 3:6).  As it turns out, this was a far more profound act of generosity.  He gave him a miracle, based on his faith in ...

As I was praying earlier this week, God led me to reflect on the difference between great expectations and great faithfulness.  More specifically, God led me to pray about the discrepancies between my expectations and His, between my faithfulness and His. I set high expectations for myself and, in general, I am faithful to the commitments that I make.  Yet, I have been reminded many times, in many ways, by many people, that I should not measure my expectations by my own thoughts and feelings.  I should let God's expectations be the measure of the commitments I make and the actions I take. God is always faithful to helping His people meet His expectations.  He knows that we are weak and frail, and that we expect a lot from ourselves.  During these last weeks of Lent (and beyond), it is good for us to spend time pondering what God expects of us, and reminding ourselves that He is far more faithful than we are.  Let's transform our expectations and our ...

The Collect for today's Mass, Monday during the First Week of Lent, asks God: "instruct our minds by heavenly teaching, that we may benefit from the works of Lent."  What, we may ask, are the works of Lent that can benefit us so greatly?  It is no coincidence that the Church provides the answer specifically through the lectionary readings for this week.  From Sunday through Saturday, there are six identifiable works by which we can be converted and grow in holiness during this noble season. The first is found in the second reading from yesterday's Mass (the First Sunday of Lent).  St. Paul writes to the ancient Roman Church, and to us, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  The very first work of Lent is an act of faith, which includes inward belief and outward expression.  During some particularly difficult years, this is the only work that I have been able to c...

We all are aware that Thanksgiving, the great American holiday, happens tomorrow.  It seems, though, that the cultural awareness of the source of this celebration has been lost in recent years.  The first celebrants of this ritual gathered at table during shortly after the harvest season because of the gratitude in their hearts.  They were grateful for God's grace that allowed them to survive their first harsh winter in the New World; and for the assistance of their fellow man (native American Indians, specifically) in cultivating the crops and produce.  These were reasons for gratitude, indeed. Jennie Brownscombe, The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth (1914) Over the last three-plus centuries, the ritual has changed slightly.  There probably wasn't a grand exhibition of sport (like football) before, during, and immediately after the big meal.  It is very likely that folks didn't pack up for brief cross-country trips but, rather, they remained within ...

"For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator."  So states the fifth verse of the thirteenth chapter of the book of Wisdom in the Old Testament.  The author of this sentence, and the sentences that precede it in the chapter, wants to remind his audience that the grandeur of natural creation is supposed to elicit thoughts and awareness of the One who has created.  That grandeur, however, ought not to be deified.  How much better is the Lord, he exclaims, "the author of beauty" ( Wisdom 13:3 )! Blowing Rock, NC Photo Credit: Wife Family and I were blessed to experience this for ourselves during the past weekend.  We took a day-long pilgrimage to a nearby mountain range to gaze upon ancient and rugged peaks, see autumn foliage that is perhaps unparalleled on earth, and share each other's company.  There is no doubt in my mind that we were successful on all three accounts.  And, there is ...

This post is a follow-up to last week's post, "Cramming for the 'Final Exam.'"   As I finished that post, I realized that it does little good to exhort Catholic Christians to prepare well for the forthcoming judgment if they are not provided some direction for effective preparation.  The best teachers help their students prepare well for the exams that cover the content of the courses they teach.  While it would be pretentious to count myself among the best teachers of religious and spiritual things, the method works, so I'll employ it. Our world is inundated with media outlets of all types, from television to print to billboards to new digital media such as podcasts and internet video clips, and everything in between.  When it comes to the Catholic Church, and to Catholic beliefs and lifestyle, much of the media paints an errant picture, or at least a very incomplete picture.  Rare is a newspaper article, a popular book, or a segment on any round-the-...

In recent weeks, I have been conversing with young adults who are wrapping up their semester studies.  Despite the various institutions they attend and the various majors they have chosen, one common theme has shone itself through these conversations.  In the weeks leading up to final projects and exams, these students are quite tense and full of stress as they realize that they may not have learned all the necessary material in order to pass the test(s) and course(s).  They begin to wonder if they have procrastinated a bit longer than they should have, which elicits extra anxiety.  One young man even said to me, "I've learned how to re-learn an entire semester's material in a single afternoon so that I can pass the exam."  As I listen to these young people talk, I recall my own studies.  I freely admit that I did plenty of procrastinating and last-minute cramming during my college career.  Therefore, I know that procrastination and last-minute crammin...

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.  There is a clear connection between this high liturgical feast day and the theological virtue of faith.  By the virtue of faith, this story is brought out of the past and made applicable in the lives of the Christian faithful in this age.  In this momentous celebration, God's people receive a beautiful revelation about the way that He meets us in order to bring us into deep communion with Him, even if we would be skeptical by natural, worldly standards. The Gospel reading for the daily liturgy is a perfect place to begin.  There, St. Luke records Mary's reception of the perplexing message of the angel, first with doubt, and then with freedom and fearlessness.  When Gabriel greeted Mary as the "favored one," she was troubled (Lk 1:28-29).  His only response was to tell her, "Don't worry, Mary, you're going to have a son out of wed-lock" (loose paraphrase of Lk 1:30-31).  S...

C.S. Lewis, a great bard of the English language, once quipped, "If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don't recommend Christianity."  On a similar theme, in a tweet shortly before he resigned as Supreme Pontiff, Pope Emeritus Benedict wrote, "The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort.  You were made for greatness."  In two pithy statements, these men captured one of Christianity's defining characteristics: it assaults a person's comfort zones.  Paradoxically, it is this assault on comfort that brings a person to the fullness of what God intends for him or her to be. A nice representation of the benefits of expanding one's comfort zone. If a person is comfortable while living Christianity, then she isn't living Christianity in a manner commensurate with the intentions of its Founder.  That's precisely because Christ always challenges us by pushing our boundaries.  He always attem...

When read in very small chunks, Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels, yields so many subtle wrinkles and wonderful insights.  This morning, I happened to read 10 short verses, Matthew 21:18-27, in which the Holy Spirit allowed me to see a deeper contour that I had not considered much before.  Specifically, I was brought to ponder the intimate relationship between prayer and faith. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree (Matthew 21:19) In this short section, Jesus begins teaching His disciples by announcing the power of faith to cause fig trees to wither and mountains to move.  Most Christians are aware of this basic teaching of Christ on the virtue of faith.  However, the next sentence provides depth of understanding that is less often considered.  Jesus states: "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Mt 21:22).  Quite clearly, the power of faith must be coupled with prayer, as it seems that the two are mutually cultivated. The...

Everyone is well aware that Lent is here.  After all, we know its presence because national fast food chains begin serving their version of the fish sandwich solely during this season.  Our restaurant economy seizes every opportunity to fill us in spite of our dietary proscriptions! From another angle, however, Lent is about lots more than simply not eating meat.  Lent is the liturgical season in which the Church urges us to grow in faith.  This post, then, is to share the same thoughts that I gave at our parish's RCIA gathering this past Sunday morning.  The point that I made to inquirers was that faith affects and effects one's life, sometimes in dramatic ways. I had six primary points.  Each of these points was to remind the listeners of things they may have forgotten, and to inspire that group to work toward their redemption and eternal destination.  Perhaps they'll be of benefit to readers, too. First, faith is tested by suffering....

I found myself deeply identifying with the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, from Sunday's Gospel reading .  Too often, I have been wooed by the concerns and frustrations of this world.  Constantly I am tempted to enter the modern-day "Jericho" of pride, envy, greed, anger, or lust. The solution?  To call out as Bartimaeus did, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me" (Mk. 10:48, RSV)!  I must recognize that I am powerless against the forces of this world that cause spiritual blindness in me.  I must remember that He is the source of my existence, and cause of my flourishing.  Without His mercy and blessings, I would certainly find myself in a constant cycle of sin, devolving to spiritual destruction. Alas, that doesn't have to be.  Like Bartimaeus, I have the opportunity to throw off the mantle of sinful oppression that the enemy would have me wear (cf. Mk. 10:50).  Instead of being weighed down and hindered by those deadly sins, I can have the free...