When I first saw curling I was confused: what are they doing sweeping brooms in front of a giant hockey puck? Why do they start barking out calls as soon as it is released? What are they even trying to … Continue reading
Author Archives: dbrindle
How Lonely Sits the City
How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the cities has become a vassal. -Lamentations 1:1 In 589 … Continue reading
Youth, Beauty, and Promise
A few years ago, my father “was a young man, strong, virile, athletic, handsome, chaste, and disciplined; the kind of man one sees sometimes shepherding sheep, or piloting a plane, or working at a carpenter’s bench.” Even today, he is … Continue reading
The Light of Conscience
Our friend Tom is in a moral pickle. His elderly mother—bedridden with dementia and slipping in and out of consciousness—nonetheless clings to life. There is no telling how long until she will “shuffle off this mortal coil.” In the meantime, … Continue reading
Priorities
Before I entered the Order, I had a chocolate labrador retriever, whose full name was “Abbot the Dog.” Though a generally well-behaved dog, Abbot once gnawed to pieces my iPhone 3G. (Don’t laugh at its obsolescence—at the time it was … Continue reading
Where Are the Poor?
There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linenand dined sumptuously each day.And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scrapsthat fell … Continue reading
Measuring My Maturity
Maturity is a difficult word to define. It’s also a difficult state to reach definitively, saying to ourselves, “Finally, I’ve arrived!” How do we know when we’re considered mature? Do we reach it by a certain age? Proverbs says so … Continue reading
A Vision of Fiery Chariots
“Why?” It’s a common enough question, even from a very young age. We tend to ask the question differently as time goes on, though: “Daddy, why is that squirrel’s belly white?” becomes “Why didn’t my son come home from Iraq?” … Continue reading
A God Who Cannot Feel
In this season of penance, we ask God to have mercy. Human mercy involves compassion, looking upon someone’s misery and feeling it as your own. But God, in his eternity, can’t feel misery—he can’t feel anything. I don’t mean that … Continue reading
Stopping in Smyrna
My family are beach people. Growing up in coastal New England, our summers always involved lengthy days on sandy shores and in cool waters. But occasionally, we would trade the chilly waters of the Northeast for the warmer waves of … Continue reading
Rock Solid
Today is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, a celebration of the teaching authority of the Vicar of Christ. We don’t usually think of authority as a blessing, but instead as a cost worth paying for the security … Continue reading
The Imperishable Wreath
Every two years, people from all over the earth unite to participate in one of the most internationally distinguished events in the modern world—the Olympic Games. It is amazing to see how the scope of the Games has widened since … Continue reading
The Heart of Penance
“Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15). These words rang out in Galilee when our Lord started his public preaching, and they were heard worldwide last week on Ash Wednesday. Repentance is a definitive turning away from sin, but … Continue reading
The Boundaries of Authenticity
Your boss just gave you a “coaching.” You don’t agree with him, but you sheepishly nod your head and then play your part. Then you talk to a customer; you say several polite things so as to stay in character. … Continue reading
Birdbrain
“Birdbrain” is actually more of a compliment than an insult. Ounce-for-ounce, birds have significantly more neurons in their brains than almost all mammals. The way birds migrate proves this. Have you ever wondered why birds don’t get lost when they … Continue reading
Lent is for Lovers
If you don’t give it up for love, you won’t give it up for long. Growing up in New England—the birthplace of Dunkin Donuts—Dunkin coffee was like mother’s milk to me. Instead of milk, though, I took mine with cream … Continue reading
Chocolate and Ashes
Can you read my mind and know what I am thinking? You probably cannot without my help. Nevertheless, what others think, especially those with whom we live, work, or love, matters to us. Often we pick up a person’s general … Continue reading
Morality in an Age of Disbelief
In the twentieth century, many thinkers became disillusioned with traditional morality. It seemed to be a cold and impersonal list of rules. For something supposedly based on a transcendent God, it was surprisingly powerless to resist changing social conventions. Many … Continue reading
Hope in the Dark
My heart in hiding stirred for a bird,– the achieve of, the mastery of the thing! -Gerard Manley Hopkins I think everyone is a little bit scared of being alone in the dark. The travels of Caspian the Navigator have … Continue reading
Gaze of Love
We’ve all heard that line. “Did you see the way he looked at you?” This perhaps over-romantic line in films is a common starting point for a story about love. But while it might be a cheesy question posed by … Continue reading
Salvation is from the Jews
About four thousand years ago, God made a promise to Abraham, saying, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). … Continue reading
The Big Plan
A few days ago, I heard a talk Bishop Robert Barron gave to the seminarians of Philadelphia. He told the graced story of the Word on Fire apostolate and gleaned from it some guiding principles for proclaiming the Gospel through … Continue reading
Even Unto Death
I will give you glory, O God my king, / I will bless your name for ever. / I will bless you day after day / and praise your name for ever (Ps 145). On February 10, thirteen Dominican brothers … Continue reading
My Good Friend
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10) Though I could not see the face … Continue reading
A Temple of Your Glory
Three trickles of cool water splashing on the wrinkling forehead. A moment of silence as the infant’s eyes widen and arms twitch before a small cry of surprise. Jovial smiles from glowing parents and congratulatory friends. Next, the precious oil, … Continue reading