Small Graces for Great Glory

Something I have been learning about is the magic of ordinary days. God has a way of making small things, things we see as mundane, quite beautiful. He has been teaching me how important it is to live in holiness and happiness in every small moment of our lives. As we thank him for our meals, we see that he chose to make sweet raspberries with their bitter seeds to thrill our palates, and that he made vegetables such a dazzling array of colours from the golden of a pineapple to the deep purple of an eggplant. The stars that … Continue reading “Small Graces for Great Glory”

St. Alphonsus on Vocation

“How narrow is the gate, and straight is the way that leadeth to life:  and few there are that find it!” – Matthew 7:14 The path to salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, yet there are many roads along that path which allow for one to serve Him. The question of which path one is to follow to best serve Him brings about a serious consideration of His Will and the trust thereof. We call discernment the process of prayerfully considering where God is calling a soul to serve Him. Discerning a vocation is no easy task. Marked by … Continue reading “St. Alphonsus on Vocation”

Chance: Opportunities to Find God

I find it difficult to listen to God. I can count on one hand the number of times when God spoke to me directly, and even then those times might have been late-night fatigue. I doubt strongly that I’m alone on this; many Christians claim to not have heard God directly even once. While I don’t claim to solve thousands of years of theology, I’ve recently started a practice that works for me. It’s simple and has doubtless been done before, but I wanted to gloss over the how and delve more into the why. Simply, I put on a … Continue reading “Chance: Opportunities to Find God”

Nazi Death Camps: Blurring the Lines Between Life and Death

We are publishing this article for Holocaust Remembrance Day. May their memories be for a blessing. Death camps represent, perhaps, the most important evidence for the planned extermination of the Jewish people. The death camp manufactured a single product: the speedy and efficient murder of world Jewry. Because of this, the Nazis blurred the lines between life and death. “Life” became an optimistic way to describe an animated dying process, while “death” was normalized into everyday expectation. Nazis sought to turn humans into animals, taking away all semblance of the dignity of human life. Meanwhile, the actual act of murder … Continue reading “Nazi Death Camps: Blurring the Lines Between Life and Death”

A Protestant’s Reflections on Notre Dame

This bit comes from the journal of a Protestant reflecting on his first impression of the Notre Dame in Paris. I walked through Paris, taking some wrong turns but generally going in the right direction, noticing the old, pretty facades that make this city a bit of a wonderland, the aftermath of the previous night’s celebration–a toppled three-wheel motorcycle, quiet streets, and signs of drinking and festivities. The city was just beginning to wake, and once again it felt like a modern metropolis. O Paris, city of love, ailed by the uprooted immigrants, traumatized by war and occupation, yet still … Continue reading “A Protestant’s Reflections on Notre Dame”

Tie Your Camel: Have Faith and Do Work

trust-God-tie-Camel-desert

This article is written by guest author Petrit Kola, who presents a Muslim point of view on the question of faith and works. In Islam, there is a story where one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), Anas Ibn Malik, asked the Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah (God), should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I leave her untied and trust in Allah?” The Prophet replied to him by saying “Tie her and trust in Allah.” With this story in mind, we will be looking into the discussion on the importance … Continue reading “Tie Your Camel: Have Faith and Do Work”