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Sacred Heart and Suffering

Sacred Heart and Suffering

One of the most revered pieces of imagery in Catholicism is that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Depicting Christ’s sufferings, it conveys the depths of His sorrowful passion for all humankind. Reflecting on this, I feel that I and many others undoubtedly relate to this image. How many of us have ever felt such great pain in our chest over something going wrong for someone we love? Surely parents…

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Courage

Worrying about current or future events manifests itself through mental illness and in many cases, manifests itself physically. But can one have courage despite having anxiety? Anxiety can lead one to inaction, a sort of paralysis spiralling into depression which is devastating. There is more understanding with respect to the physiological aspects of anxiety and depression.[1] As the dialogue…

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Refuge

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. SelahPs 62:8 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.Ps 27:5 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.Ps 91:4 And he said to…

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Anxiety

*Before diving into this blog, I want to tell you, the reader, that if you are suffering from anxiety, please get help from a professional. It makes living with anxiety more bearable. The Serenity Prayer I suffer from anxiety. In hindsight, I feel I’ve always suffered from it. I’ve heard anxiety described as caring too much about many things. One might say that it is a disproportionate amount…

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Remorse and Reconciling

“I’m sorry, okay! Gosh, just leave me alone!” “Don’t feel bad about it. Just tell him what he wants to hear and then go off and do your own thing.” “I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself. I just need to indulge in…” “Simon! Apologize to your brother right now!” “Hashtag sorry-not-sorry.” I don’t believe a single person who reads this can say in all confidence that they’ve sincerely apologized…

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Zealous for Good Deeds

Zealous for Good Deeds

“He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.”‭‭Titus‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭NRSV-CI‬‬ Jesus came to save us from ourselves. The state of sin is too much for us to overcome hence why his sacrifice saves us. But on the flip side, there is still this idea of obedience. We have been purchased by his blood,…

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An Open Letter to Pope Francis: Please Apologize

An Open Letter to Pope Francis: Please Apologize

This is an open letter to the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Dear Holy Father, You undoubtedly have heard about the bodies of indigenous children found in British Columbia. It is an awful testament to the church and the government of Canada. Help our country in its process of reconciliation. As the Father of the church, you are supposed to represent the best of us. I always had high hopes for you…

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Lasting Goodness

“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will…

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The Sun and Your Anger

The Sun and Your Anger

“So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. “ “Let no evil talk come out of…

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Baptism

What is Baptism? Baptism is more than an initiation into the Christian family. We often see it as such, but it is a washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1215) It infuses the Holy Spirit into each of us and brings us into the way of life. It was viewed as such an important sacrament in the early church that St. Paul writes of Christians baptizing the dead with the hope of…

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To Do The Right Thing

To Do The Right Thing

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17 We have morals. We can argue that our morals are social constructs that were devised over centuries. We can also say that many of our morals developed from instinct and stem from our innate need to survive. It’s true that if we work together for our mutual benefit, everyone will have higher standards of…

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Vengeance Is Mine

Ominous title, I know. How many of us confuse demanding restitution with revenge? In a conversation I had with a lawyer friend, he told me something that stuck with me. He said our country has a “legal system,” not a “justice system.” The more I think about this, the more accurate it seems. The role of a judge is to execute justice. However, if one side cannot secure legal counsel, they cannot…

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Good Friday 2021

In a paper that I was writing, I reflected on the sacrifice that leaders make. Of course, I began by reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice. I hadn’t thought much about His sacrifice beyond the ultimate expression of love on the cross. However, when I read about His ministry, I see other examples where He gave of Himself. For example, how many of us recall that He suggested to the apostles that they go…

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The Poetry of the Cross

The Poetry of the Cross

There is no denying that Christianity has macabre elements. We have a memorial feast where we commemorate our leader by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Perhaps the most poetic is our reverence of the execution device that killed him. The cross was a torture and execution device that shows all opposition the consequences of defying your ruler. This would be akin to revering a guillotine,…

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Identity

Define your identity. You have a name, as do I. You have a body as I do. You have physical attributes, as do I. We have things we call our own; my house, my car, my family, my friends, my acquaintances, my space, jacket, life, and God. We don’t all have these things, but we all have something we call our own. But do these things make up your identity? I have groups with whom I identify. Being a…

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A Tree and Its Fruit

A Tree and Its Fruit

Matthew 7:15-20 Many of the lessons written in Matthew are easy to understand. Some, not so much, such as the lesson regarding new patches being stitched onto old clothing. (Mt 9:16-7) The lesson regarding good trees bearing good fruit seems reasonably straight forward and uses imagery that His audience at the time would quickly grasp. Good trees bear good fruit. Harmful trees, not so much. This…

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Love Is Patient

“Love is patient.” 1 Corinthians 13:4 I wish I had an infinite reservoir of patience. But, life would be perfect. Who would want that? I’ve run out of patience so often that I don’t consider myself very loving at times. As a father of two young children, I find I quickly run on empty. My son and daughter are like two power-kegs that ignite every so…who am I kidding…very often. I have to…