Safe Haven

I'm still here. I had the thought once the other day that I felt like I was dead, but I realized the opposite is the case. I'm very much alive, in all ways, and this is why the trials of this life hurt so much. If you hurt over things that are wrong, and things that are sad, you're alive. Take encouragement in that, if there is any to be had. I don't know what's ahead, but I'm me, and I'm going to continue being me, insofar as that is good. We're going toward something beloved friends--Someone--and that promise, along with the hope that attends it, is greater than any sorrow.

Sometimes, it seems like all the suffering comes at once. I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling much like a royal priest offering his whole life back to the Father. I'm feeling like I'm being crushed. There are days when your prayers are tears. Words are a luxury befitting happier times. And the worst part is, my health is fine. My circumstances are just fine. No truer thing has ever been written: If you love anyone at all truly, you will suffer. And so I suffer the temptation to condemn myself, because there are much worse things than this. Then I remind myself that I've learned to downplay my feelings improperly my whole life. It is not true or right to pretend that I'm not hurting when I am. Even if the crosses are not all mine, I bear them too, because I love. But I had this high and lofty thought on the way to Mass: if the vale of tears is doing this to me, how great is the joy that awaits us? Can you even imagine? Dear St. Paul, I recall you sa...

I'll just leave you to read it , and think about it. Most of our movies today, though they may not be obvious examples of the subject, come very close to it, even if they are not. I'm not here to piously lecture anyone; the things that get people mixed up in pornography are varied, and it purports to fulfill real human needs, not simply for pleasure, but for connection. It's difficult to connect with real people, and the virtual world never says, "no." You can get help  from my friend Devin Rose, if you need it. It does sadden me that it's so common. If Jesus took on human flesh so that we could have abundant life, how great is that life so many people are missing? On the positive side, what glorious vistas of deep friendship and communion with God and others await us on the other side of this snare? All you saints of God, pray for us!

Suppose circumstances forced you into a situation where your character were revealed. For some people, it's acute physical danger to someone else. There is no time to consider carefully. You are either the person needed in that moment, or you're not. It need not be so extreme, however. We all potentially face little tests like this every day. (So long as we are granted another day to live, there is still time to become what we are not, if we fall short.) The movies have it backwards, though. It's not the decidedly evil man who turns to good in the crucial moment who should be most celebrated. It's the man who's steady as a rock, who goes on doing the right things that he's always done, who should be. Heroism in anything takes practice. If your whole life were distilled into one moment, what would it say about you?

We keep a closer watch on our lives as Catholics, because the possibility of mortal sin is real. But have you thought about this, that on an ordinary day in a state of grace, (if there is anything ordinary about friendship with God) the Father adores you? The Father loves you as He loves the Son: infinitely. And actually, He loves us this way all the time, but when we are mixed up in grave sins, we don't realize it, or care. God is always giving us grace to come back if we get in a jam, though. It's an extension of that infinite love, and in that species, we call it mercy. True mercy never denies truth, but it reaches down, it dignifies, it inspires us to truly experience all that God has for us. The glorious freedom of the children of God.

If you think about "church people," you can think of several kinds you don't like. Nobody wants to be that kind of Christian: the judgy one, the flaky one, whatever. We also have cottage industries of people trying to be the "cool" Christian, or the "relevant" church. Guess what, kids? You're just somebody else's version of church people. He enters in. "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." We've got to reckon with this. You have no reason to go to church unless you believe this, unless you realize that this fact impacts the way you live, or the way you will live. Who is Jesus Christ? This is the most important question you will ever ask. If you want to explore that question, then you have a reason to be a church person. It doesn't matter where on the journey you are. If you're exploring, just starting out, or you've been exploring the mystery your whole life, ...

This is worth a read. Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer I ever saw. What's it worth, really? And that is true. I would rather have my wife and my children. This sunset could have gone better. It hurts me to think of it. I can remember seeing things that will never be seen again on a golf course. It's not a debatable point; this was Nicklaus reincarnated. The best you can do is use this amazing ability to do some real good for others who aren't so lucky. But a game can't fix the holes in ourselves. Money, power, fame, physical ability, all powerless against the demons of a purposeless life. I thought of it today, that forgiveness is the currency of Heaven, for those of us here. Every problem in the world is either forgiveness needed, or forgiveness denied, and often both. People aren't that complicated, really, but they are dangerous. Lord, have mercy!

Yes. Absolutely. Jeb Bush is a statesman next to Trump or Cruz. Marco? Same. I would have no qualms about legitimacy, myself. But then, I don't believe in democracy. The wisdom of giving a voice to "the people" is predicated on the people being wise, moral, et cetera. That's all breaking down. Pick someone else. Do it soon. I won't rally to the buffoon. So you decide how much you love Hillary Clinton, because I will never vote for Donald Trump.

It's a buzzword, at this point. But really, what does it mean? The Greek word means, "good news." The human context that forms the biblical use of this word is that of a herald, announcing the reign and arrival of a triumphant king. If you weren't on board when the herald came, you'd better leave the realm with haste. So, in the Christian context, an "evangelizer" announces the good news of the reign of King Jesus, and warns of his imminent return. The Church says we need a new evangelization. Why? I think it's fair to say that many members of the Church are not ready and waiting for Jesus to return. Here in America, how many people do you meet who start off the story of their faith journey with, "I was raised Catholic, but..."? "I know the Church would say I shouldn't do this or that, but..." "I'm a bad Catholic, but..." I have a feeling that a great number of people wouldn't be as casual if they h...

Granted, there is nothing really wrong with me. I would not expect to die today. Or tomorrow. Or the day following. But who does? Unless you are one of those people who knows what is going to kill you, because it's a diagnosis you can't escape, most of us will be surprised. I've decided I don't care that much. Don't get me wrong. I'm enjoying myself, generally speaking. I'm not planning a trip to Sheol this week. But my life has a pattern. It has a purpose. The animating purpose of my life is Christ, and him crucified. If everything that means is true, death has already lost. Seriously. Have you stopped to think about this? I was waiting for Entrepreneur Bob after Mass yesterday. Actually, me and another guy. He was taking a long time. Not just a moment or two. We sat there maybe 15 minutes. I said to the other guy without thinking, "Maybe he died in the church." "Don't say that!" "Why not? To die right after Holy Commu...

One of the glorious aspects of a contested convention is that we don't actually have to answer the question, "Does voting for Ted Cruz constitute necessary self-loathing, or an indefensible self-hatred we should not entertain?" He really is terrible, though I would still reluctantly vote for him, if I had to. I'm pleased that the delegates can choose whomever they like, once indeed no one has a majority. They should use it. I would be enthusiastic about Rubio, of course, but also Kasich. I don't believe that Kasich's comments on religious liberty indicate that he's an enemy. He may not want to fight the culture war, but he's not on the other side. That's all I need to know. Cruz absolutely cannot win. He says things no potential president should ever say, but he gets a pass from his fellow evangelicals. The swing voters will crucify him, though if he's half as pious as he pretends, he'll welcome it. I still hope that he is pandering, ...

The Catholic Church is offensive. Jesus was, too, as I'm sure you know. Ted was saying that it's inappropriate for one Christian (Catholic) to tell another Christian (Reformed) that he hasn't fully accepted the gospel. Well, you don't accept Mary's perpetual virginity, do you? You've denied the gospel. That scares people, because granted, I don't think the finer points of Marian dogma would make it into my 2 minute elevator speech about "the gospel." But it doesn't mean those things don't matter. I think the greatest damage the Protestant revolt did--because Sola Scriptura wreaks its havoc within Protestantism, also--was that it made people talk more about their feelings about truths of divine faith, more than the truths themselves. It's a function of Western evangelicalism, but also of indifferentism produced by necessity from the individualizing principle of Sola Scriptura. Sola Scriptura strips away the power from the ecclesial com...

Well, I got their attention. I wanted to do a little thought experiment. I think it's fair enough to say that Catholics and Reformed agree on many things. That which separates them, from the Reformed perspective are Reformed distinctives, and he holds them in contradistinction to the Roman Catholic dogmas precisely because he believes those dogmas are false. But what if the Catholic Church did not exist? The Catholic believes therefore that revealed truth, at least as regards the New Covenant, would not exist. The Church exists as the redeemed community of the New Covenant in Christ's blood. It's that strong. We don't accept an invisible Church, because it represents a denial of Christ and His saving purpose. An invisible thing cannot be a visible sacred sign of God's work in the world. If Reformed theology as distinct from Catholic theology didn't exist, then all the points where we agree would be aspects of Catholic theology. And alike for Lutheran theolog...

I know 2 friends. We'll call them Bill and Ted. Bill is Catholic, and Ted is Reformed. I can sympathize with both of them, for the obvious reason(s). I'm with Bill, ecclesiastically of course, and Ted has some impassioned rhetoric to the effect that holy mother Church teaches a false gospel. I respect that, but here's the billion dollar question: How does Ted know that? What is "the gospel"? I can see why Bill feels like he's chasing a moving target, of tendentious readings of Scripture passages, of feelings, and of ad hoc arguments, made for the moment. I could sympathize with Ted more, if he tied himself to a tradition of interpretation, but he doesn't. He seems to embody the vicious circle of Sola Scriptura: Scripture according to me says I'm right, so I'm right. On the other hand, if I didn't think Catholicism was our only option, I would find almost everything Catholic bizarre. It really is. If the Catholic Church isn't the Churc...

If indeed Jesus is God, then the things he did when he was here in the flesh aren't the only things that matter. How many of us are deeply wounded by something, something done to us? He is able, and he's willing, doubt no more. We might have a mighty faith that believes all things, all the biblical miracles and prophecies. Yet until Jesus is Lord of our deepest hurts, needs, and desires, we're just running in vain. Jesus, I trust in You!

I am in the middle of the new Exhortation now, and I will not offer comment until I have read it entirely. But I am very glad he essentially begins with a reflection on several Scriptures. He weaves it into whatever he happens to be talking about, and I love it. It's the way he uses them that I appreciate. He acts like we've read and heard them before. Because we the faithful, have in fact heard them before. Pope Francis does not behave like a catechist in the local parish; there are people to do that. There are obviously risks to thinking the best of people, in this sense, to put it mildly. One of the problems with this approach, you might say, is that people aren't as holy as you might think. More than that, though, is that people may not be as favorably disposed as a good but optimistic priest hopes. There really are loads of people who will take any ambiguity as an excuse to do what they want. Here's a thought worth considering, however: Why should the pope speak ...

I went to the Republican caucus in my area yesterday. In this state, our primary is just for show. The real action is at the later caucuses that few know about. Well, I went with some friends, to do anything we could to vote against Trump. The "all Trump" delegates prevailed, 61-55. I hope our friends at the state convention can cancel out what was done here. I did what I could. I was proud to see the unity among the not Trump faction. They didn't even want to know who we had supported. The man who organized turned to us, and said with a hint of resignation, "Thank you for voting for sanity." By the way, I found the black Republicans. There may be many more than you realize. I think GOP candidates going forward should not appeal to coded language about race, in a foolhardy attempt to get older whites. These black Republicans would have run through a wall for Cruz or Kasich. And it was especially apparent yesterday that a large portion of the anti-Trump senti...

I was talking with God last night, and I remember saying, "I'm ready to do Your will, O God, because I'm ready to be happy." I know that God is my happiness, not as merely a fact that I recite through gritted teeth as I desire something else, but as my desire. I don't even know what I'm saying, but I know it's true. You might be one of those people who sins, not because of any great malice in the doing, but because happiness scares you. Love scares you. The unconditional kind. The kind that changes whatever it touches into itself. If so, you will eventually say, "I'm ready to be happy," because the sorts of people who say this start out telling God that He's obviously a lunatic for even bothering. The plain love-drenched truth is that no matter what happened to you from the beginning until now, whatever has kept you from your destiny in God is a lie, and built on a lie. Maybe some of us need to re-think that clever definition of grace...

I think it may seem so, because the ethical system from which a person might claim this is fully consistent with a supernatural worldview, (and the Christian one) and many people who make the claim are Christians. It's a funny thing about our public space today: people find it easier to assess and dismiss others, rather than engage their arguments. I'm the worst at this. If I don't like someone, it's really difficult to engage in a meaningful way. I'm still learning.  The full claim as an argument would be something like, "Human life begins at conception. It is morally wrong to take innocent human life at any stage of development. Therefore, governments around the world should enact laws prohibiting the taking of innocent human life at any stage of development." If someone makes a claim that abortion is morally acceptable in some circumstances--while conceding that abortion ends a human life--accompanied by the claim that the aborted fetus is a ...

I have always wanted to read this book. I have a complicated relationship with President Obama. As many of you may know, I cast my vote for him in 2008. I remember the speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 that launched him as a political superstar. Two years later, at a march on Washington to bring the nation's attention to genocide around the world, I heard Obama speak. I predicted after that speech that he would be our president. We will always be at a variance over abortion and other moral issues, such as the meaning of marriage, and increasingly, religious freedom. My disagreement with President Obama has never been personal. Indeed, I could say in some sense that I like President Obama. I've been at times very critical, and even downright mad, but I feel differently on that level than most people. It might be my undergraduate training in political science. Politics in America is like a brotherhood; when the sides aren't fighting, most folks have a dee...