PaddlingPadre

As you probably know, I love to whitewater kayak, and especially during the summer you can find me basically everyday that I have off and every Sunday afternoon on the Ocoee River near my hometown of Cleveland, TN. Now on the Ocoee, literally on just a handful of rocks, there grows a species of flower…

But who do you say that the Son of Man is? This question that our Lord directed to his disciples in Caesarea Philippi is a question that every Christian, and indeed, given the global reach of Christianity, every person, Christian or not, must answer. The question of who Jesus is is a question that, once…

This deliverance of the Canaanite woman’s daughter is one of those episodes in the gospels that, at first blush, might cause us confusion, as Jesus seems to behave strangely. Yet whenever Jesus challenges us in the gospels, whether it be by his words or by his actions, there is, within that challenge, always an invitation…

There’s a scene in St. Augustine’s Confessions where he relates the story of two men, two Roman officials, who were going for a walk in the city of Trier. As they walked, they came upon a house where some Christians lived, and in the house they found a book that told the story of St.…

To anyone who has, more will be given, and from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. These are words that can seem difficult, and yet they express something that, on a little reflection, must be true. Because all of us, regardless of whether or not we are aware of…

Without Christ, life can often be quite heavy. The ways of the world can weigh one down, can wear one down. Because we all know from experience how the world works, we all have heard what the world has to say: make as much money as you can, accumulate as many nice things as you…