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.
Posts tagged ‘spiritual’
May 2
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
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
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
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
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
Benedict and the Agnostic II
Br László Erffa, LC
The following dialogue follows the structure of Joseph Ratzinger’s expositions in The Yes of Jesus Christ: Exercises in Faith, Hope and Love (Crossroad Publishers, New York 2005), which are also published as the last part of Christianity and the Crisis of Cultures (LEV / San Francisco: Ignatius 2006). Of course, this conversation between Benedict XVI and a young agnostic never actually took place, but if it did, here’s what it might have looked like.
John: Holy Father, thank you for the conversation we had last time. It really helped me to get some ideas straight. But there are many questions remaining…
Benedict: There will always be questions.
John: What do you mean? Read more
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
Where Arguments Fail
Br Eric Gilhooly, LC
For Catholics wanting to convert others to the faith, evangelization often boils down to apologetics. What arguments can I pull out of my sleeve to convince this person? Apologetics has done much good for the Church during these last several centuries, spearheading the evangelization effort. But if you think it will continue to do so, I have news for you. Things have changed. Read more
True Grit
The Legion of Christ 4 years later, a reflection
Br John Choi, LC
The only thing in life that’s free is the Grace of God…
The John Wayne movie True Grit begins with these words. If there was anything we’ve needed most in the past four years as a religious family, it has been True Grit. More than our own resilience, we have needed the Grace of God.
Four years have passed by since the tidal waves that swept over us. Suddenly, the congregation Bl. John Paul II spoke of so favorably appeared so deeply flawed, so wounded. Speculation spread rapidly that everything was wrong with the Congregation from Mexico, that it was just a farce that was going to have to go.
I remember that first night when we first found out about our Founder. It was a Thursday. I will always remember that night as the Dark Night of the Legion. Read more
