Last Thursday, as I boarded the bus that would take us to Washington, D.C., and the March for Life, several questions percolated through my brain. First and foremost were my anxious concerns about how effective my motion-sickness medicine would be on the 10 hour trip (It worked. Yay!).
More importantly, however, I wondered what the atmosphere would be like at the first March in the post-Roe era. Would there be more dissent? More protests? The marches I attended in the past were extraordinarily peaceful. How would this one differ?
I was also curious about the direction in which the pro-...
Read MorePope Benedict XVI is a hero to me, and I attribute my own intellectual and spiritual formation to the inspiration of his witness. He was both an intellectual giant and also a humble man. In college - which is when I first became enamored by this field of knowledge I never heard of before, theology - I would eagerly await every public address he made. And whenever I came into a little extra spending money, I bought books by Joseph Ratzinger. In fact, our little home library has more books authored by him than any other writer.
He was an academic, but his impact on Catholic education ought to ...
Read More“Do to no one what you yourself dislike.
Give to the hungry some of your bread, and to the naked some of your clothing.
Seek counsel from every wise man." - Tobit 4:15-17
Life requires remembering. As I get older, I have come to realize God gives us grace in the sacrament of confession which clouds our recollection of mistakes but clarifies our remembrance of the good. Of late, I find myself thinking of the two best decisions I ever made in my life: to marry my wife and to join this community.
I am so grateful for how this community is forming me and my family. These sentiments were ...
Read More“Be patient, my brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer awaits the precious yield of the soil.
He looks forward to it patiently
while the soil receives the winter and the spring rains.
You, too, must be patient.” - James 5:7-8
Behind every saint is another saint.
I am fond of Advent for several reasons, most especially because the season is filled with so many saints. And as we discover the stories of these saints, we quickly see how the lives of the saints are often shaped by other saints.
Advent begins with the Feast of Saint Andrew. St. Andrew famously ...
Read More"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
The first quarter has come to a close which gives me cause to be a bit reflective, and I am surprised to find myself continually fascinated by the process of learning.
I remember my mother asking me the perennial “mom” question when I got home from school: “What did you learn today?”
The answer, always, without fail, was: “Nothing.”
I am absolutely sure that the parents of our students have had the exact same exchange with their children. I am also absolutely sure o...
The living, the living, he thanks you,
as I do this day;
the father makes known to the children
your faithfulness. - Isaiah 38:19
Thank you to all of the parents and faculty for participating in our community conversations last week. There were over 50 parents who attended the evening sessions, and nearly all of our faculty discussed the findings of the community survey as well. If you were not able to attend or if you would like to revisit the survey results, we are sharing that slideshow in this week’s newsletter (see below).
It was very formative to hear what others thought about our mission...
Read More"There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.” - Luke 16: 19-21
Last Sunday at Mass, we heard the story of Lazarus and the rich man. It is an uncomfortable story about a rich man who ignores the beggar at his front door. When they die, the beggar goes to heaven – the bosom of Abraham– while the rich man ends up in hell. The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to hi...
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We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world
Here we are, back again! Another school year commences, and another round of hope abounds! What is the source of our hope? It is the Triumph of the Cross, a most fitting feast day for us to observe and direct our attention towards at the start of an academic year.
“We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So...
Read More“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. “ Matt 17:2
This past weekend we celebrated the Transfiguration of Jesus. As Peter, James, and John observe Jesus’ garments become blindingly white and his face luminous, they are unknowingly witnesses to Jesus’ coming triumph over death! They are given a glimpse of the glory that awaits Jesus at his Resurrection. They are witnesses to hope.
It was, to say the least, a profoundly moving experience for the Apostles. So much so, that Peter, in awestruck wonder, offers to build thre...
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