A New Series: Faith and Film Friday Has the screen taken over our culture? Perhaps we are not yet in a complete dystopian future in which every person’s reality is virtual, but with Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube making movies and … Continue reading
vanberkum
Your King Comes
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory. The entire cosmos speaks of Christ, announces his coming, yet only a few dare look to the … Continue reading
Filled with the Spirit, Conformed to Christ
After the one who had betrayed Jesus died, the apostles gathered to choose someone to replace him, someone who had “accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism … Continue reading
The Voice of Thanks
Today is a day to remember your deepest identity—one made in the image and likeness of God. To be made in his image is to be given the command from God in the Garden of Eden: fill the earth (Gen … Continue reading
The Blood of Christ
A few weeks ago, I was contemplating Jesus on the cross. It’s not hard to image the pain he was experiencing: the nails, thorns, and scourging rip your own soul wide open. One common tradition understands that Jesus was offered … Continue reading
Living in Grace
Life really is like a Sigrid Undset novel. It’s all about grace—receiving it and rejecting it. Undset masterfully crafts her characters to reveal the quiet—and sometimes not so quiet—movements of grace in their lives. God lovingly touches each soul, bestowing upon … Continue reading
Yearning for Remembrance: Pixar’s Coco
A few of us recently watched Pixar’s Coco. I found it very enjoyable, although tinged with sadness—which I think was the director’s intent. The story makes excellent use of its medium, animation which is beautiful and imaginative. There’s a strong … Continue reading
Into the Pit
In the end, evil destroys itself. This is certainly a comforting thought, but it can be hard to remember as we look upon the world. One of the functions of literature is to make these kinds of truths clearer for … Continue reading
A Seamless Garment
At His crucifixion, Jesus was stripped of His clothing, and the soldiers divided it among themselves. His tunic, however, “was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down” (Jn 19:23), so the soldiers instead cast lots for it. Because … Continue reading
Ablaze
Jesus said, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Lk. 12:49). What kind of fire is Jesus talking about? Is he thinking of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:23-25)? Fire certainly … Continue reading
Sibling Rivalry
When we’re with our families, we can’t pretend to be someone we’re not. They know our quirks and tastes, talents and difficulties. They tend to know us even better than we know ourselves, in fact. And we know them in … Continue reading
A God of Failures
The Presentation in the Temple looks like a failure. In memory of the slaying of the firstborn of the Egyptians—man and beast alike—the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice their own firstborn to the Lord. This in general seems to have … Continue reading
The Love of Money
Money can be a tricky thing to get a handle on. On the one hand, it can seem that all of the world is measured in money. We encounter prices all the time, on gas station signs, in store windows, … Continue reading
Burdened under the Law
The Church’s moral law has received attention in the public square for many years now, on topics ranging from contraception to torture. These sorts of discussions take place within the Church as well, as seen in the current discussion on … Continue reading
Embrace of the Cross
The idea of a hug from Jesus can bring to mind the figure of a blue-eyed man with tousled brown hair, probably a big beard, and a cheesy grin with his arms stretched wide waiting for you. Or this time … Continue reading
The Very Stones Will Cry Out
A short story Lucius walked the dusty streets, twisting his fingers in careful patterns, practicing yesterday’s lesson. He was a clever and talented student, so the pebble he was looking at obediently skipped alongside him. By now the route was … Continue reading
Fixer Uppers
We all need to be fixed. Of course, we generally try to avoid admitting this to each other, and so it’s often God Who gets to hear the most about our brokenness. “Jesus, I really hurt my brother this morning. … Continue reading