From Season to Season

Note: I have been publishing reflections via Aletia.org and on Facebook Notes for the past few years, but I am   happy to begin sharing again on this blog.  An earlier version of this reflection was posted Aletiea.org. on August 26, 2017,  For the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A, 2020) You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  — Matthew 16:18 Several years ago, I read the novel  The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham . It’s the story of two brothers coping with the death of their mother and their family’s histrionics. One of the brothers, Barrett, is always trying to find a way to escape his own life and over the course of the novel, he comes realize how shallow he has become. At one point in the story, he remarks that, “The moment matters more than the future. The present—today, tonight; the sensation of walking into a room, and creating a real if fleeting hush—is what I care ...

Dear friends and family, the leadership of my province gave me a new assignment: effective July 1, I will be serving as part our community's ministry in Tucson, Arizona, called Jordan Ministry Team . This ministry is named for our founder, Venerable Francis Mary Jordan , who founded the Salvatorians in 1881. JordanMinistry Team , where I will be serving, was established in 2001 by members of the three branches of our Salvatorian "Family" to support the work of the Diocese of Tucson, a "mission diocese" that includes the lower-third of Arizona. This diocese includes more than 47,000 square miles and our ministry helps with the training of permanent deacons and lay ministers, with a special focus on training catechists and teachers. Given the needs of this local church, Jordan Ministries provides an invaluable service, especially in rural areas where the needs of parishes and schools are so, so great. Our hope is to begin offering our services beyond the bor...

All that is known for certain about Thomas comes from the New Testament. He is mentioned as one of the twelve apostles in all four Gospels and is nicknamed Didymus, “the twin,” in John’s Gospel. It was a “doubting” Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he had seen him with his own eyes and put his finger into his wounds; this prompted Jesus’ response, “Doubt no longer but believe,” to which Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God” ( John 20:24-29 ). Reflecting on this moment, Saint Gregory the Great wrote, “The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christ’s wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the resurrection.” Tradition states that Saint Thomas preached the Gospel to the Parthians, Medes, and Persians, eventually making his way to India where he ...

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” —Matthew 10:29-31 In 1618, a young Jesuit from Diest, Belgium, traveled on foot to Rome to study at the famous Roman College. John Berchmans was, in many ways, an unremarkable young religious. The son of a shoemaker, his life was like that of other children of the working classes, but John’s natural intelligence helped him stand out from his peers and he was given an opportunity to study, which ultimately led him to religious life and to preparations for the priesthood. After distinguishing himself in philosophical studies, John was chosen by his superiors to take part in a public debate, but became ill before it had ended. As the young seminarian lay on his deathbed, he clasped his crucifix, his rosary, and the Jesuit Rule and said: “These are my three t...

Although I've been neglecting my blog for the last several months (as I've been navigating several other writing commitments), I'm happy to be blogging again and I want to share with you this piece that was recently published by my friends at Aleteia.org about my newest book (published by Ignatius Press ):  Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J.: With an Undivided Heart. The memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga is celebrated on June 21. To order a copy of the book, click here . To read the profile by Aleteia.org, click here .

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. —John 6:57 In 1928, Myles Connolly published a small novel entitled Mr. Blue , which tells the story of a young man who decides to live out the Christian Faith in a serious, transforming way. The book was intended to serve as a Christian response to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic work, The Great Gatsby . Blue lives a life of extremes, we might even say of excess, but it is a far cry from the extravagance of the “Roaring ‘20s.” Mr. Blue has much to say to us about how faith in Christ can shape a life, transforming a person’s very existence into an act of eucharistia  — an act of thanksgiving  — that by its very nature draws others into communion. In the novel, Blue tells the story about the kingdom of the Antichrist: the days of the “the ecstatic, passionate, beauty-loving, liberty-seeking people had, as was early predicted, come t...

Ivan was born in 1896 in the village of Zhyvachiv (in modern-day Ukraine). He was ordained a priest in 1923. In April 1945, Bishop Hryhory Khomyshyn, Greek Catholic eparch of Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk), ordained Ivan as coadjutor bishop with the right to succeed him in case Bishop Khomyshyn should be arrested or killed by the Communist leadership. However, on June 2, 1945, Ivan was arrested and deported to the labor camps in Vorkuta, Russia. In 1950, he was transferred to labor camps in Mordovia, Russia. Following his release in 1954, Ivan returned to Stanislaviv. He was arrested again in 1962 and imprisoned for five years in a camp known for its harsh treatment of prisoners. Although he was released on November 30, 1968, he was interrogated by KGB officials every few weeks. The last visit was two weeks before his death, which was on December 2, 1973, in Stanislaviv. Because of his imprisonment and suffering, Blessed Ivan Sleziuk is honored among the “ Martyrs Kill...