In this recent video Father Robert Barron reflects on a survey that polled Catholics who left the Church, asking them why they departed.
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Saint Francis the Communicator
April 3, 2012 by | Leave a Comment
We are left with the nagging question of how, exactly, do we engage in spiritual conversation that touches the heart of the other. We seek conversations grounded in integrity, but fear we might inadvertently veer off into the land of the carnival barker.
The Mediator & Joy
April 2, 2012 by | Leave a Comment
A mediator is not a bon vivant welcoming disputants to a gala. Rather, a good mediator possesses a quiet inner joy. As a peacemaker, he seeks an inner peace attained not only through training and experience but received as a gift of divine grace.
Happiness School
March 31, 2012 by | Leave a Comment
As we “enter Jerusalem” tomorrow, Palm Sunday, we may want to assess the degree to which our life’s journey is truly a spiritual pilgrimage, a pilgrimage that includes contemplation designed to lift us out of our false selves, contemplation designed to help us transcend our worldly nature.
Evil and Human History
March 28, 2012 by | 1 Comment
Without the Gospel promise that he delivered, fresh and relevant and alive in the present, we would not have the courage or reason to engage in reconciliation work.
The Satisfaction of an Apology
March 26, 2012 by | Leave a Comment
When we face a need or a desire to apologize it pays to determine how we might best meet the other party’s needs. What needs of theirs might we want to satisfy with our apology?
The Conflict Narrative: Listening to Story
March 22, 2012 by | Leave a Comment
Most of all we want to talk about the villains, the antagonists, who trample our dreams and engineer our suffering.
The Spiritual Conversation
March 21, 2012 by | Leave a Comment
However, most of us have given little serious thought to our spiritual journey. It is possible we have never engaged in a spiritual conversation; we may have never had the opportunity to share our deepest concerns with others.
Saint Peter Stumbles
March 17, 2012 by | Leave a Comment
Faced with conflict, like Peter, we may become drowsy and inattentive until our enemy arrives and provokes us into violent action. Peter, lacking the perspective of the Resurrection, became drowsy when Christ summoned him to vigilance with the words, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch.” [Mk 14:33-34]
Holy Thursday Contemplation
Unbeknownst to many, especially the laity, there has been a constant search for new processes that protect and honor the rights of the faithful while preserving sacred Tradition.