Posts by Radhika Sharda, MD
The Least of These
What does mercy look like in real life? If we are honest with ourselves, to be merciful does not often come naturally to the human heart. Indeed, a glance at ancient literature reveals no heroes of mercy, but rather men who dealt out justice and revenge. Mercy does not emerge on the stage of history…
Read MoreAnd God Saw That It Was Good
The first words of the Bible unfurl the story of our world like the notes of a symphony: “In the beginning.” If we take time to listen, a singular picture of reality comes into view, unlike that of any other religion. These opening words in Genesis place us at that inexpressible moment of “the beginning,”…
Read MoreHe Who Came by Water and Blood
When I was in medical school studying human physiology, I was fascinated by the power and vitality of the heart. Here was the singular organ of the body pumping volumes of blood each moment to every smallest part. So long as a tissue had a blood vessel perfusing it, it would partake of that flow…
Read MoreStrange Mathematics: The One and the Ninety-nine
The Bible abounds with strange proportions that defy mathematical logic. Perhaps the most compelling of all these equations, though, is the parable of the one sheep and the ninety-nine. In today’s Gospel reading we hear the story of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep in order to seek out the one lost sheep. Jesus…
Read MoreOut of Poverty and into His Arms
Have you ever faced an imminent crisis or confrontation which fills you with dread? Perhaps you have found yourself on the edge of some event that might change your life entirely. I believe that we all wrangle with such moments in life. The question arises, what do we do when we come to the precipice…
Read MoreTransform Our Hearts
We have all heard the familiar Gospel passage exhorting us to persist in prayer: “Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and the door shall be opened.” Yet many of our prayers are not answered in the way we expect. Rather, through prayer we come to align our heart with the…
Read MoreChosen
What does it mean to be chosen, rather than to choose? The remarkable thing about the Christian life is that our faith begins not with our own yes to Christ, but His invitation to us. He takes the initiative, summoning us each to the life of faith and the work of mission. It is then…
Read MoreA Grain of Wheat, for the Life of the World
Do you cling to life? I remember a night many years ago in college, when sitting at my desk and lost in thought, I saw my hands before me suddenly aged in appearance. The veins stood out like spiderwebs on my hands, and as I stared at them the reality hit me: I will die…
Read MoreHunger for Him
What do you hunger for? Whom do you hunger for?The recent National Eucharistic Congress marks the culmination of the past three years ofEucharistic Revival in the U.S. If you have attended the event or begun to view some of the talksfrom the Congress, you likely have been set afire with renewed love for our Lord…
Read MoreGo First to the Lost Sheep of Israel
If you had lived during the time of Jesus, would you have recognized him? How would you have known him to be the Son of God? Indeed, we would have been hard-pressed to understand His true identity, as his own disciples were. It could be said that the Gospels are first and foremost an answer…
Read More