From Season to Season

Jesus said to his disciples: “In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in heaven will be shaken. And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky”   —Mark 13:24-27 Speculation and anxiety about the end of time and of the world is neither new nor unusual. For centuries, seers and sages and mystical texts—like Nostradamus and the prophecies attributed to St. Malachy—have been making dire predictions about the future. Science, too, has contributed to public anxiety by citing a series of possible scenarios in which the world (at least as we know it) could come to an end through climate change, collision with another celestial body, and even because of the cooling of the sun. While these...

This Sunday we hear the story of the "generous widow." While we most often focus on the widow's generous spirit, this story is really a lesson in discipleship. "Ultimately, this story of the “widow’s mite” isn’t about the size or amount of the gift. Instead, Jesus is reminding us that his disciples will be known not by what they give away or give up but by how they give over all that they are to God and to those around them, simply because they love." To read the full reflection, click here . On a personal note, I want to offer a word of thanks for the prayers and good wishes I have received since sharing my news of being accepted as a candidate for the Society of the Divine Savior (the Salvatorians). To read my original posting, click here .

Some of you who have been following this blog for a while will remember that I was Benedictine monk for nearly eleven years and, after a long and careful period of discernment, I decided to seek a dispensation from my monastic vows. This was certainly a difficult decision, but those events in 2013 were not the end of the story... Late last year I began to actively discern the possibility of returning to religious life. Early this year I contacted a handful of religious communities, including the Society of the Divine Savior (the Salvatorians). Those conversations and my discernment have continued and the past months have been a time of challenge, opportunity, reflection, and blessings. With all of this in mind, I am happy and humbled to announce that I have been accepted as a candidate for the Salvatorians and will enter formation in January.   I am especially grateful to so many people who have supported my ongoing reflection and discernment, particularly dear f...