Posts by Sean Callahan
Christus Vivit
“Speak, for your servant is listening (NABRE, 1 Sam 3:10). In today’s Gospel, we encounter Jesus’ words. They command the obedience of a demon and the attention of the crowd (Lk 4:32.36). His words leave the people stunned: “What is there about his word?” (Lk 4:36). What If? Now, what if we were there? What…
Read MoreShow Them Jesus
On October 9, 1859, a young girl by the name of Adele Brise encountered a beautifullady “clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. She had a crown ofstars around her head, and her long golden wavy hair fell loosely over her shoulders”(https://championshrine.org/our-story/). Adele asked the meaning behind the lady’s visit.The woman…
Read MoreBearing Witness to Him Who Was, Is, and Always Will Be
During the reign of Licinius in the 4th century, forty Christian men refused to offerworship to the pagan gods. As a consequence, the authorities ordered the men to bestripped of their garments and thrown onto a frozen lake to die. Yet, any of thecondemned who denied the Christian faith would be offered a blanket and…
Read MoreBecome a Little One
When I saw the fireworks this year. I was mesmerized. Little “stars” would shoot up high into the sky and dance their little dance. They dazzled as they popped. Colors, shapes, and lights of all sorts lit up the night. “Do it again,” my soul would say. “Do it again.” Another set of fireworks would…
Read MoreBecome Divinized
History marks itself as pilgrims walk to accompany Jesus across the United States. It is not for some odd reason. In 16 days, more than 100,000 pilgrims will gather in Indianapolis, Indiana, to adore, praise, and petition Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It is fitting then that we should celebrate the feast of St. Thomas…
Read MoreBearing Fruit — Fruit that Will Last
It is never too late; a conversation on virtue “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some…
Read MoreWho Are You?
“Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We also will come with you.’ So, they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing” (Jn 21:3). If we put aside the other disciples for a moment and focus our attention on Peter, we’ll discover a…
Read MoreIt Takes Courage to Believe
“Do you believe we can do this?” Dad says to his son. “Yes, I believe we can do this!” Pepper responds. These are two lines taken from “Little Boy”: a story about the courage of a seven-year-old boy and how his inner faith transforms the world. Keeping this story in mind, we might also turn…
Read MoreGod Wants to Dream His Dreams in Our Hearts — Let Him
Today, many of us celebrate March 17: the feast of St. Patrick. For some, his name signifies nothing more than a time for parades, leprechauns, and a Guinness at the local pub; but for those who know the true story of the Irish missionary, the name means so much more. How sad it would be…
Read MoreLoving the Lord Like Little Li
A number of years ago, when the Communists invaded China, they imprisoned a certain priest inside his rectory. After locking him up, the soldiers proceeded to desecrate his church which included throwing the thirty-two consecrated hosts contained in the ciborium onto the ground. Over the course of the next thirty-two days, the priest noticed a…
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