Q: Why would Jesus curse a fig tree that was out of season for not producing fruit? A: The Fathers of the Church taught that sacred Scripture could be understood on several different levels, and I think that may be the best approach to understanding this particular episode in Jesus’ life. The story of Jesus…
The Sufi mystic Rumi once lamented: “I have lived too long where I can be reached!” That was twelve hundred years ago, long before cell phones, the internet, computers, and social media. Today, most of us live where we can be reached all the time. While this has some huge upsides, it also has a…
I don’t run into shepherds very often, but a few years ago, I ran into a shepherd (via Google) by the name of Kim Goodling. She and her husband live in Vermont and run a large farm with a lot of livestock, including a flock of sheep. On her blog, Kim Goodling wrote about what…
Even though the Bible was written ages ago, its pages always have meanings and messages for us today. Our challenge is to find connections between the text of yesterday and the ‘today’ of our lives. There are five parts to lectio divina – holy reading – which is an ancient way of praying with Scripture.…
I must have skipped the chapter in my ‘how to parent’ instruction manual where it talked about weddings. Not my wedding, of course, but all the weddings of my kids, the friends of my kids and the kids of my friends. For me, the year 2024 is turning into a banner year for nuptials, including…
As I’m sitting in the chapel, I hear the clock in the sacristy ticking in the silence. The tick of every second is the ever-fleeting present leading to the next moment – the future St Teresa of Kolkata’s words come to mind, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let…
Q: I once heard a priest talk about Ordinary Time and that it didn’t mean ‘plain’ or that other times were more important. Of course, I can’t remember how he explained it. Can you explain some more? A: I personally was not there when your priest was giving his talk, so I can’t comment specifically…
We live this life “mourning and weeping in a valley of tears.” This was part of a prayer my parents prayed every day of their adult lives, as did many others in their generation. In the light of contemporary sensitivities (and one-sided spiritualities), this might sound morbid. Are we to understand our lives as time…
In the second book of his Dialogues, Pope Gregory the Great tells of the holiness of St Benedict, whose memorial is celebrated on the 11th day of July. We learn that Benedict lived for three years in Subiaco, some 40 miles outside of Rome. He fled the ancient city that was self-destructing in its moral…
Born and raised as an evangelical Christian in the South of England, I grew up immersed in Protestant Christianity. My father was one of the three leaders of the congregation I attended. Every Sunday, I was brought to church and participated in youth groups throughout my childhood. Christianity was a significant part of my upbringing.…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser