Once upon a time a couple of guys named Paul and Barnabas traveled to a city called Lystra. They came across a crippled man. This guy was born crippled, he had never walked a day in his life. Paul told the guy to stand up; which is a really mean thing to say to a […]
Let’s think about the motion picture Nacho Libre. The film is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta (“Friar Storm”, a.k.a. Rev. Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez), a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador and competed in order to support the orphanage he directed. There are a few things […]
I recently received the following email from a former member of ecpc… “I am planning a dinner activity for my husband’s ordination reception. My hope is to have a slideshow playing with “trivia questions” that everyone getting ordained must know. Would you consider helping me?” – Former Member of ECPC Below you find the questions […]
God has taken on flesh! This is inescapably scandalous and offensive, but it’s true. That which is from the beginning (i.e. God) has become human! All the gritty details of being embodied apply to God! Just think of all the regular maintenance your body requires: everyday you have to brush your teeth, digest food, use […]
I briskly traversed through the Gospel of Mark this morning. I normally progress ploddingly through the Γέγραπται, but sometimes it’s helpful to conduct a sprightly trot through a gospel in order to obtain a better sense of the surplus and sundry instances of Jesus offending people. It is absolutely vital that we come to grips […]
What’s your criteria for “a good time”? For example, on any given day, if you have an unexpected hour of free time, what would you need to do in order to endorse and esteem that hour as “time well spent”? Here’s one recommendation… Google quotes by GK Chesterton on goodreads, and ponder them. If you […]
It’s Christmas time! And you know what that means!? We must ponder God’s promises to Egypt! Every Christmas we are compelled by The Holy Spirit to imaginatively immerse ourselves in the scene where Joseph & Mary receive wealthy astrologically-obsessed guests, who have traveled for months to worship their toddler. These wealthy Eastern Astrologers lavish extravagant […]
G.K. Chesterton said, “People have fallen into a foolish habit of speaking of orthodoxy as something heavy, humdrum, and safe. But the fact is, there never was anything so perilous or so exciting as orthodoxy.” We are infatuated with “the praise & attention of man.” We anchor our identity and our sense of meaning […]
Have you ever been stressed out? Some of you have stressful jobs. Many moments where you’re barely hitting your deadlines; and it feels like you’re always on the brink of burning out. Some folks are swimming in stress because they all-of-a-sudden find themselves navigating increased financial obligations. Some of you are stressed because you recently […]
Once upon a time, Eugene was asked a question about “spiritual direction.” And here’s how he replied: You seem disappointed that I am not more responsive to your interest in “spiritual direction”. Actually, I am more than a little ambivalent about the term, particularly in the ways it is being used so loosely without any […]