Safe Haven

I haven't really thought about it, or frankly, prayed about it consciously. I know that it is deeper in my heart than even that. I carry my Reformed brethren especially with me especially as I attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As we say, "In your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children, scattered throughout the world." I'm especially thankful for those of you who, out of deep conviction, believe you cannot be Catholic. That is, you believe us to be wrong. We do not long for Christian unity from pure sentiment, and I would not encourage anyone to seek full communion with the Catholic Church on that basis. Rather, I believe it is an authentic work of the Holy Spirit when He convinces people of strong conviction to re-examine the frameworks for those beliefs, out of fidelity to Him, and to Christ. The converts I know are not flakes; they did not suddenly tire of caring about revealed truth. Quite the opposite. People who understand...

You could pick bones with the statement, "It's not a religion, it's a relationship." In fact, evangelicalism gets hammered for being like an overwrought Manilow record all the time. On the other hand, Christianity is a relationship with a divine Person, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who took on flesh. I won't hector you with thoughts about sacred music and goodness of form; you can find others to do that for you. But one thing missing (other than empathy) in the discussion of much-maligned "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs is that we don't have better analogies for just how much  God loves us in Christ. You can hardly blame folks for trying. They say analogies break down. No kidding. I hope so. The first thing you feel when you realize Jesus loves you personally is complete unworthiness. Well, yes. Have you ever been truly thankful for something you were owed? It's completely absurd in its goodness, the whole story. We read that Jesus...

I have an almost visceral disgust for the rhetoric and policies, such as they are, of the alleged GOP front runner. Is this where we are now, where insults directed at women, ethnic minorities, the disabled, and really anyone who fails to tell him how great he is gets you to the top of the polls? If it really goes this way, you have no right to ever complain about the unseriousness of the Democrats again. I don't want to hear it. Here's some real talk about terrorism and security: if you want to live in a free country, your safety cannot be guaranteed. That's the truth. The government can try its best, but we've seen worldwide that people dedicated to causing harm will find a way. But it's not likely. You are more likely to die from your chicken salad today than a terrorist attack. Not to say we aren't vigilant; we are. But for the FBI to say, "We cannot properly vet these immigrants," that's what law enforcement in a free country should say. Be...

My top 3 are Rubio, Bush, and Kasich. I will only vote for Ted Cruz as a last resort. I've gotten older, and hopefully, a little wiser. I'm all for principles, and pretty conservative ones, at that. But you don't damage the United States for personal ambition, and any patriot would rather lose than inflame destructive passions for personal gain. Ted Cruz didn't and hasn't denounced this demagogue, until it benefited him. He's also fed a mostly exaggerated evangelical persecution complex (as if the HHS mandate isn't bad enough). No Christian anywhere ought to advocate the indiscriminate bombing of any people, but he has. He seems reasonable, next to bigotry and xenophobia. Well, my friends, we have to do better. If we don't, we don't deserve what's been handed down to us.

I was a bit distracted today at Mass, but He was there. God is Love, and Jesus is God. Therefore, Love is the answer. And the question is, "What is the purpose of my life?" Love. Get caught up in His love. Evangelism isn't some great mystery: Tell people that the One who loves you and forgives you loves and forgives them, also. I got served a hanging curveball the other day: "Why do you go to Mass every day?" "The One who loved me and died for me is there. Least I could do is say 'thank you.'" "That's it?" he asked, sort of shocked. "That's it," I replied. "That's kinda old school, isn't it?" I answered, "Well, you know what they say. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."