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Posts from the ‘Spiritual’ Category

May 23

Eating Snow

Eating Snow

Br Gustavo Arce, LC

        I fell again, but harder this time. I stood back up, put my skis on and watched a six or seven-year-old kid fly down past me without any problem. Frustrated, I asked myself why it was so easy for him to ski, but so hard for me. I mean, I’m twenty, and I haven’t even arrived at the top of the mountain—I’m still on the novice slopes!!!

We experience this feeling many times in our lives: frustration, anger… things just don’t turn out as we expected.  We start comparing the qualities and virtues of others with what seems like just dirt in ourselves, because we can’t do what they can. Read more

May 8

Oremus

Oremus

Br Christopher Daniels, LC

With many people I talk to I find that, other than Mass and prayers before meals, there is not much time devoted specifically to prayer. We all need to be closer to God and ultimately we want to go to heaven; but to do this, we need a lot of help, and a great means highly advised by the Church is daily meditation, or mental prayer.  But why meditate every day? Isn’t Sunday Mass enough? Read more

May 2

Onthewaters

On the Waters

Br Eric Gilhooly, LC

Back when thy voice first sounded strong,

Came piercing through my plight,

Darkness! All was darkness!

And thou, mine only light.

Read more

Apr 25

Les Misers
2 Comments

A Heart Well Broken

Br Thomas White, LC

Les Miserables is one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time (and also one of the biggest, a real brick). It also holds first place among my favorite books. As I finished it up for a second time a few weeks ago, I put it down with a deep sense of satisfaction for two reasons. First of all, I had finished a 1200 page book, which is an accomplishment in itself. Second of all and more importantly, it had changed me. But why? Was it just a nice story, or was there something deeper? I felt like there was something deep inside me that the book touched. As a humanist who is studying the heart of man, I started to do some thinking. Read more

Apr 18

thin ice
2 Comments

On Thin Ice

Br John Kenny, LC

                Here in Cheshire we have a little pond, probably twice the size of a normal backyard pool. When winter rolls around, it usually freezes over if the temperature gets low enough. But the pond does not always completely freeze. There are often little patches of unfrozen water here and there.

Once on a cold January day I was taking a pleasant stroll outside. It was during our month of exams, and as it was strangely warm, I was enjoying the fresh air. I noticed a group of novices gathered around the edge of the pond and one novice going to and fro on the well-frozen section (a novice is one who is discerning the vocation and preparing to take religious vows). Read more

Apr 12

Santiago
1 Comment

Ain’t no Saint

Br Michael Sternhagen, LC

Santiago de Chile, 6:30 pm. Sitting and reading on the green grass atop a hill, as the last rays of the setting sun bathed the wide sweep of Santiago far below in gold… Little was I prepared for scene two: the curtain was coming down on my evening of tranquility and quiet reading – perhaps forever. Although I didn´t hear the muffled footsteps behind me, I was not alone. Read more

Apr 1

Vatican Risen Christ

Death Conquered

Br Joseph A’Hearn, LC

The old clutches of death never failed to grab hold

Of the strongest of fighters, no matter how bold.

It’s no wonder the news caught the world by surprise

At the hint that from death any man could arise.

 

Crucifixion and scourging, a crown full of thorns—

Not to mention fatigue and the insults and scorns.

How few men can stand up when they’re beaten with rods!

Only those who are granted the strength that is God’s. Read more

Mar 25

DavidAsch
1 Comment

Choose Today Whom You Will Serve

Br Erik Burckel, LC

There is a profound difference between those who live life intentionally, with purpose, and those who let life come at them, content to simply accept circumstances and pass the time.

In the iconic motion picture The Matrix, a compelling scene takes place towards the beginning of the film. A man named Neo is brought into a dark living room with two chairs, as rain falls outside. The stillness is broken by Morpheus speaking to Neo. As they sit down, he offers Neo the chance to seize reality, to be literally “unplugged” from the computer program he has unwittingly been living in all his life. This matrix program allows people to live an ordinary life in the computer, while their real bodies sit in liquid-filled coffins hooked up to energy-sucking tubes that power the artificial-intelligences who are their overlords! Pretty scary concept. Read more

Mar 11

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Soggy Grace

Br Michael Sternhagen, LC

The summer´s heat had sucked Santiago dry enough that I was not sorry to head south with a group of some twenty high schoolers for ten days of missions (heal the sick, raise the dead, and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…).  The coastal zone where we went normally receives heavy rain about 80% of the time during this season, which is what happened to us, of course. Read more

Mar 6

Lighting Candle

Faith That Is Life

Br Adolfo Wissar, LC

             A few weeks ago, while I was buying a double cheeseburger at the airport in Miami, the cashier asked me if I was Catholic. I was using the Roman collar, and of course, I said I was. I asked her the same thing, and she said that for many years she had been Catholic, but now was not. After a little while, I ventured to ask her why. I was surprised at what I heard. She said that as a Catholic she could never deepen in her faith nor live it in an intense way.  There was no point in professing a faith that made no difference in her way of thinking and acting other than going to Mass from time to time… Read more

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