faith

This makes me think… about all the little ways God is calling us…

This Beloved of ours is merciful and good. Besides, he so deeply longs for our love that he keeps calling us to come closer. This voice of his is so sweet that the poor soul falls apart in the face of her own inability to instantly do whatever he asks of her. And so you…

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Advent Journal Entry: Advent Advice from Romans 15:7: “Welcome one another…”

Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7) I’m having a different kind of Advent where I’m trying to walk, not run… think, not speak… fast, not feast…(yet)… be mindful, not forget… Love, not withhold. So I’m asking Jesus to help me to not only see the whole…

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Advent Journal Entry: Advent Advice from Isaiah 1:5

Isaiah 1: 5: “….come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”   Come… What a beautifully simple invitation. To come. It’s a opportunity. It’s a journey. It’s a call. It’s a visit. God wants us to come to him this season. As he comes to us. God wants us to be with him…

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This makes me think… Ouch! On going deeper with Jesus…

My Jesus, if you want me, cut the fetters that keep me from you. -St Philip Neri-

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Immortal Gladness Rings Through Sadness

On Friday I kept my regular appointment to pick up my weekly mail. It’s a rambling backwoods drive through beautiful woodlands and fields to a small village, where the local luncheonette and the post office and a bank all share the same friendly space. For me it was a brief mental escape affording me a…

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My column at Patheos: Lumen Fidei’s last chapter = Faith as light in family, cities, culture

As we conclude the Year of Faith this month, I’m completing my 5-part series at Patheos summarizing Francis’ first encyclical on faith, Lumen Fidei, looking at chapter four. (Check out the new study guide on the document at the bottom of this post.) Here’s the opening of my latest column at Patheos… God has our…

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Faith, Fiat, and Fidelity to a Catholic Way of Thinking and Living

So I’ve been reading Francis’ encyclical and writing about it over at Patheos. My latest piece on Lumen Fidei’s chapter three is up over at my column, A Word in Season. I’d like to zero in on one section of chapter three that I write about in the longer piece: the unity of faith is the…

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On midlife courage, surprises, and Providence

Jesus and Mary, thank you for the godly women that you send into my life. Today I had breakfast with one of my good friends. The kind of friend that you lament that circumstances prevent you both from getting together more often, but you are so glad that you did. We talked about the transitions…

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Faith’s Eyes See a New Reality… more on Francis’ “Lumen Fidei”

My Patheos series on Pope Francis’ first encyclical on faith, Lumen Fidei, continues… All church teaching is based on Scripture, and chapter one of Pope Francis’ Lumen Fidei (LF) is no exception; its over-arching theme is from St. John’s First Epistle, “We know and believe the love God has for us” (cf. 1 Jn 4:16). Memorize that verse…

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This makes me think… about my first love of Jesus and the faith that came from that

Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love, a love which precedes us and upon which we can lean for security and for building our lives. Transformed by this love, we gain fresh vision, new eyes to see; we realize that it contains a great promise…

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