Imago Trinitatis

The Nativity, as depicted at Conception Abbey Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122518-day.cfm A couple of weeks ago in St. Louis, I had lunch with two friends, who got married last year and now were preparing to give birth to their first child!   It’s been awesome for me to see their love for each other grow, and their strong faith in God continually inspires me.   So at this lunch, I asked them, “What are you most excited about parenthood?”   They thought for a couple of seconds and responded, “Just to meet this child!”   They left it a surprise to find out if it was a boy or girl, and they were just so excited to meet this child that they’ve had for nine months, to hold the child, adore it, all of the things that new parents get to do!   It was so beautiful for me to see their joy and expectation.   And I’m sure all of you parents can relate to this, the joy of welcoming a new child into the world.   It’s not an everyday ...

Thanks to Jack Flaxbeard for sharing this with me! Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121618.cfm Audio of homily at the bottom of the post. What should we do?   What should we do, as parishioners here at St. Anthony’s in Columbus, NE?   This is the question we hear in the Gospel today, on this third Sunday of Advent, when Father and I wear rose vestments.   This is Gaudete Sunday, Gaudete meaning “Rejoice!”   We hear this in the second reading from St. Paul – “Rejoice in the Lord always!   Again, I say, Rejoice!”   So that’s what we should do: rejoice!   But what does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?   What does this really look like day-to-day?   I was assisting with a youth conference in Kansas City a few years ago, and the overall theme of the conference was this very verse: “Rejoice in the Lord always!”   One memorable part of this conference was our Saturday afternoon activity: door-to-door evangeliz...

An Icon I Wrote (with tremendous help from Fr. Pachomius Meade!) in 2013 of St. John the Baptist Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120918.cfm You can listen to the homily at the bottom of the post. “In the second year of the presidency of Donald Trump, when Mike Parson was governor of Missouri, when Robert Carlson was Archbishop of St. Louis, during the high priesthood of Father Joe Post, the word of God came to the people of Immaculate Conception in Union.”   Does that seem a bit odd to you?   A bit surprising?   I think in our society, we so often split apart the political realm and the religious realm that it could be very unique to see the two together.   When we hear this, we realize that when Luke was writing his Gospel, he was very conscious that he was writing within specific period of history, which is why he includes the names of the government officials within this reading.   The original readers, because of their proximity to...

From quillette.com Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120218.cfm (Audio of homily at end of post)  “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”   We often hear parents and grandparents tell their children to stand up straight, that they may be confident and ready to encounter the world.   It’s much more than appearance – it actually can make a difference in our lives.   In fact, for Dr. Jordan Peterson, who has become a well-known psychologist, professor, and author over the past couple of years, in his book 12 Rules for Life , this is the first rule that he gives: “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”   In order to justify this rule, he actually looks at lobsters, demonstrating that research shows that the dominant lobsters in the sea extend their appendages more straight out than the lesser lobsters, showing their strength and ability to conquer in fights.   In the same way, we as human beings can show a lot through o...

From Kenrick-Glennon Seminary  Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111818.cfm (Audio for homily below text) Winter is coming . . . or is it already here?!   This is the most snow I’ve seen in my time yet in St. Louis, but it’s all gone after three days!   And it’s hard to believe that just a month ago we were experiencing 90 degree weather.   In fact, this winter caught me completely off-guard, and as I was wondering why, here’s what I determined.   At the seminary, I spend nearly all of my day inside.   It’s one huge building; I can walk from my room downstairs to the chapel, then over to the refectory, then to the classrooms, library, other friends’ rooms, and so on.   The only time I would need to go outside is to walk the short distance over to the gym to work out.   Thus, I’m not outside to notice the temperature change, the changing leaves on the trees, and the animals preparing for winter.   I spend so m...

Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111118.cfm Did Jesus miss the perfect opportunity?   He was just talking about how corrupt the scribes were, who were some of the Jewish religious leaders.   The scribes were seeking attention, taking pride in feeling important, and devouring the houses of widows.   Indeed, their taxation on the people, claiming to be for upkeep of the Temple, took a huge toll on all the people!   And now here comes the perfect example: this poor widow comes up to place her two small coins, her livelihood, in the treasury.   Here’s Jesus’ chance: he could have said, ‘Look at this poor widow, how she is a victim of this corrupt people!   Look how you’ve taken away her life and devoured her house!”   And then all the people would realize how bad the scribes were and might even revolt.   But Jesus didn’t do that.   Instead, he affirms the poor widow’s generosity, saying “Look how she has put in more than ...

From jewishvirtuallibrary.org Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/110418.cfm “Sh'ma Yisra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.”   No, I’m not speaking gibberish, I’m speaking Hebrew.   In fact, this is the Shema prayer, contained in both the first reading and the Gospel.   “Sh’ma Yisra’eil” – Hear, O Israel.   “Adonai Eloheinu” – The Lord is our God.   “Adonai echad.” – The Lord is one.   Faithful Jews will pray this prayer every day when waking up and before going to bed, and it forms the foundation of both the Jewish and the Christian faith.   Jesus affirms this as the greatest commandment: that because our God is the one God, we are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all your strength.   It sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?   But what does it mean to believe in this?   What does it mean to live this out? As I was praying with these Scriptures, this phrase came to mind: “Revolu...

Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102818.cfm A coincidence, or an answer to prayer?   I’ve found many situations in my life when I’ve considered this question.   Take this past Tuesday evening for instance, when I was back in Omaha for a few days and met up with a friend for supper.   I walked into the restaurant he recommended, and immediately I recognized a friend from the Catholic Newman Center.   As I went to a table, she came over and said hello, and she began speaking about how cool it was to see me, since she had just been thinking and praying about contacting me.   She asked if I was meeting someone there, and I mentioned my other friend coming too, and she said, “No way!   I was going to message the two of you!”   At that moment, he came in, and she was visibly surprised and began to tell us what she would have messaged us.   What struck me most is when she said, “Wow, I was praying about doing this, and it’s clear...

From biography.com Readings:  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101418.cfm How do ordinary people become saints?  How can we go from surviving to thriving in the spiritual life?  There’s a key difference between just getting by and coming to know the Lord deeply, and I’m sure that many of us have wondered what that difference may be.  We hear stories about so many saints and the incredible things they did, but far too often they seem like mythical figures rather than relatable men and women.  So we either get frustrated, or we just choose to not think about it and live ordinary lives.  We may think, “Well, I can follow Jesus in some ways, but I’m not good enough to follow him all the way, so I’ll just hope to make it purgatory!” We find this same contrast within today’s Gospel passage. Jesus asks this rich young man, “Are you following the commandments?” and he says yes.  Then Jesus asks, “Will you sell everything you have and follo...