The Invisible Kingdom
Living everyday in a kingdom you can’t see is hard. Some might call it insane. Jesus claimed to be a king, but he stood there alone before Pilate with no one to jump to his defense and fight for him. It’s easy to say “My kingdom is not of this world.” It’s much harder to […]
The Sacrifice of the Now
We live in the most exciting, cataclysmic time in human history. This is a time that urgently requires our total “yes” to God by uniting our lives to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Between Christ’s crucifixion and his second coming lies our “now.” We have this present moment to offer worship and sacrifice […]
How Much Did it Cost You?
Jesus sits across the temple treasury, looking at each person who drops their coins in. His gaze pierces to their thoughts and intentions. He knows how much each person owns, how hard they have worked, and whether their contribution is sacrifice or surplus. As everyone else sees the shiny surface of each big gold coin, […]
A Family of Beggars
Striving to discern or grow in our particular vocation, we can often forget that, at the most fundamental level, there is only one vocation: Holiness. Before we are called to be priests, religious, married people, or single people dedicated to Christ, we are called to be saints. Last week we met the embodiment of all […]
A Beggar in the Family
“The true protagonist of history is the beggar: Christ who begs for man’s heart, and man’s heart that begs for Christ.” – Fr. Luigi Giussani “Every high priest is taken from among men…” “Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.” We all come from somewhere. Each of us has […]
Sifting for God’s Will
This article by seminarian Danny McShane will appear in the November-December issue of Into the Depths, the bi-monthly newsletter of the Office of Priestly Vocations of the Diocese of Peoria. To subscribe to this newsletter, please contact us. Discernment literally means “to sift through.” The goal of any sifting is to find something valuable that presently […]
Discernment Happens Before the Face of Christ
Reflections on the readings for the twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. The essence of our vocation is a free response to the loving face of Christ. When Christ looks at us, he loves us, as the Gospel of Mark so poignantly notes. At the same time, his gaze penetrates “even between soul and […]
Love and Responsibility: The Bridge to Communion
Reflections on the Readings for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. I apologize that this post is so long. This is the topic that is closest to my heart, and it was the subject of my master’s thesis in theology, so it’s difficult to keep my thoughts short. “It is not good for […]
Going Fishing
This post originally appeared as an article in the September 13th issue of The Catholic Post. I was never a good fisherman. As a kid, my brothers and I often drove the pickup loaded with fishing poles and tackle to a nearby pond. There my brother taught me how to put the hook and bait […]
The Last of All
“If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” With this statement, Jesus lays out the blueprint of the Church in the form of an upside-down pyramid. On the top are the poor masses. In the middle, ordinary Christians who seek to serve others through charity […]