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Devotional Life, Columbia, SC (2026)

10/29/2024

DEMOCRACY IS AN AVALANCHE

Democracy—an avalanche—
A lauwine rushing down—
Bits to Passion's burn—
Inversing Order's form.

October 29, 2024

10/29/2024

VANE OF FASHION

Of fashion, not a thread is new -
Repeat, repeat the fading fad -
For like a windy turn is true -
Once pop was this, now pop is that.

Unlike a spinning vane - timelessness -
East and West must chase the sun -
Yet nothing points above - beyond -
Like never wearing out a thought.

October 29, 2024

09/05/2024

CRAZY LAZY LIFE

Deliver me, O Lord,
from all these efficiencies!
My neighbors are texting,
my family is emailing,
my nephews and nieces
all work from their homes.
Every house now awaits
its delivery of boxes,
every phone is a game,
every device a theater.
And I can't find a soul
who will talk on a porch,
or pile leaves with a rake.
Soap and deodorant sell
well online, I've been told.
But what of the aromas,
while walking the aisles,
among colors and sizes
that jump off of the shelves?
No sweating, of course,
on the desktop all day,
but that's why a gym
has a subscription for you.
Yes, there's a subscription
for almost everything now,
and they never stop coming!
So much so that there's
subscriptions for help.
Alas, I'm as guilty as all,
stepping less in a mall,
blowing leaves in seconds,
texting all with my fingers,
in a crazy lazy life I lead!

September 5, 2024

09/04/2024

LIFTED

Deep in the waters,
in that sinking sea,
far from the shore,
clinging to love,
I held to that bark,
which soon lifted me,
and how it will lift all
out of angry waves,
out of hate and scorn.
Yes, love lifted me.

September 4, 2024

10/16/2021

RESTLESS HEART

"Christian theology, or at least Augustinian theology, recognizes human restlessness and discontent, the COR IRREQUIETUM, as the psychological source of the historical process" - Norman O. Brown

Why do our restless hearts desire more than this life can offer? We've made so many mistakes, not just today, but also in the past with those who came before us. Our discontentment, according to Augustine, is due to a broken heart we all feel because of our fall from grace with Adam - and the perpetual falling since Adam, generation after generation. As we face our failings, we sense that we can never escape history.

Norman O. Brown recognizes the power that our history has in making us restless. It is part of Christian theology too. Note how we remain vigilant about the sins of our past - slavery, racism, sexism, holocaust, and so on. Are we not constantly made neurotic by these trespasses? Shame and resentment are felt at the same time, for we know what is right even as we continue to make mistakes. Making matters worse, some who want freedom from sin and the past also want freedom from God and His divine purpose for us. Clearly, history in this theological sense is a profound conflict between our longing for the divine and our failing to be perfect.

So what can we do with our history? I'd suggest being aware that we cannot break from history, whether good or evil. I'd also suggest that we realize that the contemporary purging of the past we are experiencing by those who want to "cancel" cultural practices, relics, and people is in fact a consequence of the dilemma or human conflict we have with our nature - which both seeks the good, yet daily gives in to evil.

October 16, 2021

09/26/2021

GOD IS IN ALL

"One aspect of Revelation must not be allowed to exclude or to obscure another; and Christianity is dogmatical, devotional, practical all at once; it is esoteric and exoteric; it is indulgent and strict; it is light and dark; it is love, and it is fear.” - John Henry Newman

The multitudes of the faithful continue to surprise me. Wherever I go, I find hidden within any group many persons of faith from different denominations and walks of life. I say this discovery surprises me because we all are aware that we are dominated by a popular culture that has an opposing worldview which values self-fulfillment first and foremost. For me, such an opposition makes it hard to be open-hearted. I am tempted to see my faith in direct opposition to popular culture, thereby desiring the appearance of purity by contrast.

And so merely to fit in to be a witness seems sanctimonious, for performance as a means to make an impact strikes me as a false pretense. It is at times like these I turn to John Henry Newman, as I have many times in my life, to offer some guidance. As seen in the quote above, I am both troubled and encouraged by his words. Newman asserts that God's work is everywhere in everything - in the church and out of the church, in the light and in the dark, where there is joy and where there is anxiety. God stands above and yet within all. Revelation is everywhere.

But let's take this idea one step further. What do I do when there are so many schisms and tribes of people around me, all fragmenting from each other? How to I avoid division and yet remain unified in Christ? Again, God's work is in all that humans do. If we take that seriously, there is no situation in which we might find ourselves without God and His plan in place. So even in the darkest and most troubling hour, faith can call us to Christ.

All of this sounds good in theory, but to make it work, I have had to be more aware of what others are teaching me about God, rather than attempting to tell others what I believe. Listening is important - and openness to God's revelation in any situation.

September 26, 2021

09/13/2021

WHEN CALUMNY THRIVES

"Where there is calumny, there is Satan himself" - Pope Francis

Calumny is the slanderous attacks on another so as to crush a person's place or a group's place in society. Calumny, according to the Pope, is a sin straight from Satan. Indeed, it is opposed to love and forgiveness. It is opposed to reason and faith. It is, in my opinion, used primarily for one thing only today - to destroy churches and families.

Unfortunately, it is also the way California has decided to malign and destroy the Christian faith today, specifically in the case of St. Junipero Serra, a Spanish missionary during the 1700s on the west coast. In fact, the state of California is willing to go as far as to call all Christian missions oppressive regimes. Some California legislators are even comparing all Christian missions to N**i death camps and slave plantations. This is calumny; this is evil.

And as I write, the California government has passed legislation already for removing any statue of St. Junipero Serra, despite the fact that he fought against abuses perpetrated on natives under Spanish rule. In fact, he even traveled to Mexico to fight for a bill of rights for natives - and won! But California has chosen to make false accusations and perpetuate them - turning Serra into an oppressor.

If the Pope is to take his own words seriously, he must speak out against this radicalism, similar to the radicalism of the summer of 2020 - when mobs destroyed any statue or icon they believed to be oppressive, no matter if history showed the opposite. He must also speak out against the calumny in society in general that is perpetuated against the church. And, most importantly, all believers (no matter what denomination) must speak out against the evil of our age - against the evil of false accusations and colossal lies about Christianity - of calumny at any level.

September 13, 2021

09/06/2021

SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love" - Mother Teresa

What is it about determination that drives a saintly person on a mission? Is it faith? Is it compassion? Is it fierce focus? Probably all of these. But love is the greatest. Possessing such great compassion was one the saintliest of persons in my lifetime, Mother Teresa. We were graced with her global presence of dedication for raising up the "poorest of the poor" in Kolkata, India, and reminding us that their faces are the real face of Jesus.

She cared for lepers and disaster victims. She lifted up the HIV/AIDS patient. She was so tireless in her mission that she started the Missionaries of Charity, an order that still continues today with over 5,000 members.

As a child, Teresa's name was Agnes, and she was deeply fascinated with missionaries and missionary outreach. Years later, she had her own missionary opportunity, in 1948. She left the confines of a convent and followed God's "call within the call," as she explained. It was lonely work, but she took it in stride, donning the attire of the ordinary Indian and working with the least in society. Expanding her outreach, she also founded a hospice for the dying - so that "people who lived like animals could die like angels - loved and wanted."

In 1979, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her missionary work. Before she died in 1997, she had won numerous awards and gained the attention of the world. Despite this attention, Mother Teresa pressed on to help the poor and dying, undeterred by the temptations of celebrity and glamour. Indeed, she held to faith so strongly, many liberals were angry to realize she remained steadfastly against the sins of abortion and divorce. Determined to the end, she had one message to those called by God to do missionary work - "No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work."

September 6, 2021

08/27/2021

A MOTHER'S LOVE

“He often broke out in praise of her, congratulating me on having such a mother” - St. Augustine

The faith of a mustard seed may move mountains, yet the love of a mother can move the world. For the great theologian Augustine, the love of his mother Monica was instrumental in his conversion. But before his conversion, Monica's great love was directed towards her husband and mother-in-law, both of whom caused her no end in grief. Her husband, Patricius, often exploded with anger; he also repeatedly cheated on her. And yet she loved and prayed for him. And her mother-in-law was ill-tempered too and uncooperative. In the end, both came to Christ due mainly to Monica's prayers and kindness.

Her son Augustine was another feat of spiritual endurance altogether. His youth was filled with debauchery. But it was also a period of fine education for the young man. She soon learned her son was a follower of Manichaeism, the heresy that taught that all material reality was evil. The only good was the spirit. But then she had a vision from God that her son would one day come to the true faith of Christ. But not without a mother's enduring love.

In fact, she followed Augustine to Rome. Then to Milan, where her son had hoped to elude her. It was there, in Milan, that Monica turned to Ambrose as her spiritual advisor. It was this bishop that Augustine is referring to in the quote above. Under Ambrose's guidance, Monica became a leader of a group of devout Christian women. She prayed daily for her son. And then on Easter Sunday in 387, Augustine was baptized by Ambrose. Her son had come to Christ.

After his conversion, she told her son that all her prayers had been fulfilled. She was ready to meet God. So as Augustine was preparing to return to Africa to minister there, she suddenly fell sick and died within a week or so. But we can now say with certainty that without her maternal commitment to the spiritual life of her son, we may not have seen the likes of one of the greatest preachers and theologians the world has ever known, St. Augustine. Yes, a mother's love can move the world.

August 27, 2021

08/22/2021

LITTLE IN STATURE, HUGE IN FAITH

"A man must always be ready for death" - St. John Neumann

He was little in stature, but huge in faith. Often called the "little priest," John Neumann had left his family in Europe to become a missionary in the United States in the 1830s. Everyday of his life was lived to the fullest for God, as if it were his last day on earth.

During his ministry here he built many churches and started hundreds of schools. He believed the key to spiritual formation was education. In fact, he himself had a lifelong love of reading. He also had a lifelong love of languages. Not counting the two he grew up with (Czech and German), he mastered six others - Latin, Greek, Italian, French, Spanish, and English.

He was often abused and hated by many who did not want the work of the Lord carried forth in the new world. But derision did not stop him. Nor did the few naysayers at church. He continued on faithfully, eventually working himself so hard he developed a serious illness and eventually died, collapsing on the streets of Philadelphia while doing the work of God.

O, to be as strong in faith! To face those who hate goodness and charity. To face those who choose cynicism and bitterness. One does not have to be strong physically to be powerful spiritually, to find victory in Christ. I say this as one who has so very far to go to be like Neumann. And yet he is still a church hero to follow, a reminder of the power of faith for each of us.

August 21, 2021

08/20/2021

STARVE THE SERPENT

"I am no longer meat for the serpent, for dust must he eat all the days of his life" - John Donne

I've never been bitten by a snake, and let's hope it stays that way. But unfortunately about 5.4 million humans suffer snake bites every year in the world. Tragically, of these bites, about 100,000 die. Most of these snake bites are triggered out of fear or a protective instinct. And yet there are snakes that have swallowed and eaten humans, such as pythons. But that is much less likely.

In Scriptures, the snake is feared too, earning some of the worst associations. Vipers are used by God to kill the disobedient. In Eden, the serpent is associated with deceit and temptation. Then after sin enters the world, the serpent is doomed to crawl on its belly and eat dust. But as seventeenth-century Anglican preacher and poet John Donne says, if we are part of Christ, we are "no longer meat for the serpent." Dust to dust is a bust.

Alchemists of old attempted to turn base metals into gold, so Christ's death and resurrection turns dust into pure light. But how so? It starts with the incarnate Christ taking on the dust of humanity and then transforming it into the spirit of holiness. It is the alchemy of salvation - washing us in the water and blood of Christ, breathing into us the air of the Holy Spirit.

How then do we live since we are no longer dust put on the plate of the serpent? We live freely for good, hope, love, and grace - not imprisoned by temptations. These gifts of the Holy Spirit wing us hourly as we pray and meditate, give and help. Of course, dust is still all around us, but it is God working through us that gives us the power to sweep the dust away and raise others to His grace and love. And in so doing, we starve the serpent.

August 20, 2021

08/18/2021

DEVOTIONAL - TO ENDURE

"Christ’s servants . . . are bidden, if need be, to endure the wickedness of an utterly corrupt world" - St. Augustine

I ran cross-country in eighth grade. Running long distances, I realized quickly that to finish a race meant "to endure." Sometimes a race had hills and rough terrain. Sometimes it came on a day that was cold and rainy. In every case, being able "to endure" got me through. But what does it mean "to endure"?

For the faithful, the act of enduring in a world that is sometimes evil may take more than weathering a situation, even though when we weather a difficult time it tests our faith in that moment. It also takes prayer and hope to ride out difficulties as we struggle with forces that seek to destroy us. Lying, cheating, stealing, abusing, assaulting, killing, etc. - wickedness can increase at any time. And the world will test us daily, monthly, yearly, and throughout our lifetime. According to Augustine, we are called to endure when all else seems lost.

But how so? Strangely, it requires us to both soften our hearts to what is good and harden our resolve against what is evil. Temptations can surround us during these moments. But an enduring faith can increase and sustain us, growing in us grace and love, toughening us in patience to carry on.

The Olympics this summer reminded us how important it is to endure. Olympians in track and field demonstrated the virtues of athleticism after years of practice. As Augustine teaches us, God expects the same endurance in us spiritually, but it requires that we practice daily - through daily worship, constant prayer, and charity for others. These practices can open our hearts and yet harden our discipline so that we in fact endure in Christ.

August 18, 2021

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