Life, if The Lion King is to be trusted, is circular. If we think about habits in our lives, we will almost certainly see a trail of evidence pointing to either a vicious cycle or a virtuous cycle. We do good, doing good bears good fruit; we build a good habit, doing good becomes easier; we do more good. If we do that enough times in enough areas of our lives, and we get just a little bit of luck, we will probably have a moderate level of success. We do bad, doing bad puts us behind the eight ball; we build a bad habit, doing bad becomes easier; we do more bad. If we do that enough times, we probably crash and burn, or we hit rock bottom, see the error of our ways, get help, and start all over. Life, seemingly, is circular. Click on title for full column.

A common fear for those deciding whether or not to set out on the road to holiness is the idea that this life will somehow make us boring. We want to remain uniquely and authentically ourselves, but we also know that conversion, by its very definition, changes us. But when we muster the strength to entrust ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to mold our hearts to be more like His, we find that we are not less ourselves, but more, because we are made in His image and likeness, and are meant to become like Christ. This does not diminish our unique character or story, but rather enriches it, and incorporates us into an ever more beautiful assembly of believers, brought together from across the world and from every age. To become holy is to become truly ourselves, and in unity we can still see the beauty of our distinctions. Click on title for full column.

St. Paul writes about God’s wisdom in his first letter to Corinthians. It is not a wisdom of this age.Rather, we speak God’s wisdom, mysterious, hidden. God’s wisdom still challenges us and makes us uncomfortable. We give thanks and praise that we have a God who is active in purifying us and drawing us closer to Him! A God who yearns to disrupt us for the benefit of our salvation and the salvation of others. Click on title for full column.

How do we determine who gets the credit for impressive results or accomplishments? When an athlete performs at an extraordinary level, commentators talk about the long hours of practice that went into honing their skills. When an employee produces superior results, hopefully it is recognized and praised in their organization, and it is credited to their dedication and talent. When children behave notably well, their parents are praised for raising them right and teaching them discipline and other important habits.   Click on title for full column.