We cannot help but draw dividing lines, but the Gospel wants us to know that they are our lines, not God’s. They are a consequence of sin’s entrance in the world.
The Good Word
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Like Dorothy in Oz, we can always return home
The way to believe in the vision is to immerse ourselves ever more deeply in the life of the vision keeper, the mystery that we call the church.
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The poor are right in front of us. Why do we fail to see them?
What grace must come, and by what means, for us to see more of the world as it truly is?
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If we don’t care for the poor, we can’t recognize—or love—God.
How can you say that you recognize and reverence God if you do not respond to those who stand in want?
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Want to be happier? Go to confession
Is it possible that people who say that the sacrament is more trouble than it is worth, that they do not need confession, have duped themselves?
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It’s hard to love people who don’t share your values, but it’s our Christian call to try.
Why do we dwell within our protective shells, safe from what might harm us but certainly not fully open to what lies beyond?
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St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s lesson for prayer: Don’t worry if God feels distant.
If you feel a longing for God, take heart. You are alert and ready to receive the bridegroom. If you were not, his absence would not burn.
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Don’t be jealous of holiness. Imitate it instead.
We are not meant to envy the intimacy or intensity of religious life. We are called to imitate it.
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Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee and the theological virtue of hope
This is the theological virtue we call hope: remaining open to what will come, to whatever God determines. And what that might be, we truly do not know, no matter how certain we might think that we are.
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Let yourself be interrupted by God
So often what we consider to be interruptions can become invitations. We only need to ask, “What is it that you are saying, dear Lord?”