Most people, I find (just like me) have an array of defenses to avoid looking truthfully at what is going on – because that requires actually feeling the insecurity and (even scarier) feeling our unmet longing for love. Mining the depths of our desire can feel especially dangerous. It’s so much easier to stay on the surface. That is a problem for us priests who have said “yes” to celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom! If we avoid the longings of our heart and the felt sensations in our nervous system and body, how can we be truly integrated? How can our self-gift be embodied, wholehearted, free, and fruitful?
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
I cannot watch the 1986 film The Mission without weeping at certain scenes – particularly the moment when Rodrigo (Robert De Niro) is unburdened of his shame. Since you’ve all had 37 years to watch the movie, I will go ahead and spoil some of the plot. It is the […]
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Those of you who know me better know that the last 7 years have been an odyssey of personal healing. It all started with an unexpected phone call on my 41st birthday. With my susceptibility to workaholism, my birthdays never tended to be different than other days. But this birthday […]
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
What does it mean to say that Jesus is the brave Shepherd who goes before? What does it mean for me to become a brave shepherd who goes before?
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
