REFLECTIONS

Jesus talks to us about the seed. The seed is so powerful. When you look at it from the outside, it seems like nothing—just a little thing. But if you really knew the holiness of a seed! An entire forest exists within a seed. If you put an acorn in the ground with the right conditions, it will eventually give you not just a tree, but a whole oak grove. A tiny apple seed has the power to grow an entire orchard. One seed! This is what yielding a hundredfold looks like.

Next time you are at Liturgy, consider the idea that there are three flames. The first flame burns before the throne of God always. The second flame is passed down to a candle at the altar in the Liturgy. The third flame is passed on to you, like a little candle that you light when you take communion. Imagine trying to keep that little candle lit as you leave the church and keep that little flame burning throughout the week. Of course, you might point out that there aren't re

In one of our recent Gospel readings, Jesus tells us: "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mark 8:34). This is a radical statement! When we hear this, we sometimes think about the cross Jesus carried up that hill. We think about fasting, giving things up, enduring difficulties. And yes, this is part of taking up the cross, but the Church Fathers talk about a different kind of cross. Not just the external cross, but the dee

In the wake of this tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk and last week's shooting in Minneapolis at the Annunciation Catholic School, it is natural to search for answers and accountability. Yet as we watch politicians and others rush to blame one another, to claim moral superiority, or to assign guilt to certain groups, we fall into a familiar trap described by Fr. Meletios Webber: the mind's compulsive need to be right.

Lately, I’ve made a conscious effort to avoid the news. When I scroll through social media, I quickly bypass stories and reels, moving past anything that might pull me into the weight of current events. At times, this feels necessary for self-preservation. But it also raises a deeper question: When does the search for peace turn into blindness? In shielding myself from the world’s troubles, am I also shielding myself from reality? Am I blind?