Rewiring for the “Impossible”

The Greek Fathers describe the “process of temptation” in the Philokalia in stages. 1. Provocation, the initial incitement to evil, followed by stages of assent – 2. a Momentary disturbance of the intellect; 3. Communion, in which the mind pleasurably communes with the idea, without yet acting on it; and, finally, 4. Assent, in which…

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The Tortuous Heart and the Fruitful Vine

A woman praying inside the church holding her hands

The word “heart” appears around 900 times in the Bible, which begs the question, “What is the heart?”. Jeremiah 17:9-10 (one of my favorite verses) says, “More tortuous than anything is the human heart, beyond remedy, who can understand it? I the Lord will explore the mind and test the heart, giving to all according…

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The Fractal Pattern in Divine Workmanship

There are days when I do get overwhelmed by the ideological onslaught of worldly “truths” against our families (“love is love”; “a woman is whoever identifies as a woman”, “anyone can be any gender”, etc.). Now, this attack on the family isn’t new. Afterall, it could be said to have begun in Genesis, which behooves…

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The You-Don’t-Know-How-It-Feels Clause!

Have you ever been in one of these situations, trying to convince a child or a spouse or a parent of something, maybe, involving personal change? Just when you feel you are making headway, the conversation gets emotional, and they throw the you-don’t-know-how-it-feels clause at you. This clause is usually considered a hard stop. It…

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Cycles of Habitual Vice and Healing

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

There was a blind gentleman who used to come to our home twice a year seeking employment. He specialized in repairing cane and wire furniture, a common enough fixture in homes around the neighborhood. Given the presence of two young boys, prodigious quality control experts in their own right, this gentleman was never short of…

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The Hard Tyranny of Raised Expectations

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

It can feel at times that we live in a tyrannical kingdom. But, if I am to be honest with myself, I also encounter in more sobering moments, a fleeting epiphany, that the ruler and sole inhabitants of that kingdom are I, me, and myself. It reminds me of the image, from Dante’s inferno, of…

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A Holy Telos

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

Last Sunday we were at lunch with a group of singles, married couples, and widows. Some Catholic, others exploring Christianity for the first time. Some married within the (Catholic) faith, others outside it. Given the presence of a bachelor in our company, the discussion soon turned to marriage; in particular, whether it was alright to…

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The Simulacrum

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

I first heard the term, Simulacrum, in a 2007 sermon by Fr. Cantalamessa quoting Jean Baudrillard. Baudrillard defined Simulacrum as a “copy that no longer has an original”. Baudrillard states that, “it has now become difficult to distinguish real events, such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Gulf War — from their media portrayal”.…

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Being There

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

In the 1979 movie, Being There, Peter Sellers plays Chance the Gardener. Chance has spent his life living and working in the estate of a wealthy old man. Located in the center of power of the free world, Washington D.C. Chance’s only education is what he has seen on TV. On the old man’s passing,…

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“My Lord and My God!”

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

On the first day of swim camp, a 9-year-old boy stood with his buddies on the edge of the shallow end of the pool. You could cut the excited air with a knife as the boys awaited their first lesson. Two hours later it was generally agreed that the swim lessons had gone off, er,…

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