More Than an Idea

I have been keeping you close to my heart this past week in prayer and thought. I am still amazed at the searching desire you have for truth—especially truth as lived and experienced within authentic relationships. Truth, where it should be nourished, at home, in charity…in love…I can’t fathom the full extent of the pain you feel in reconciling, or at least desiring to reconcile with someone so close to you—psychologically, biologically, emotionally, symbolically—who may have no concept of the distance, be it physical or psychological, that has set in over time because of the weight of sin…sin being any form of denial of love, of intimacy…any action that favors chaos over peace; lifestyle choices that promote discord instead of deep, intimate bonding. It is a life of accusation as opposed to a life of joyful tension, where each is accorded their own share of downfall and misery, all at once welcomed by understanding, and most importantly: mercy… When we last talked you mentioned b...

A good question goes a long way. There are some questions that can easily catch me off guard. Like when someone recently asked me if I was French. Maybe? I'll have to check on that... But generally whenever I meet someone for the first time there are a few questions I always expect to hear:  How tall are you?  Where are you from?   Delaware.  Oh…where is that? Or better: I’ve driven through there!  How do you say your last name?   (Dook-e-min? Duck-min? Or my favorite, Dutch-man?)  Trending now: what is a postulant? Nearly three weeks ago, my journey as a postulant with the Conventual Franciscans began. So what exactly is a postulant? To be honest, I’m still searching for an appropriate answer myself! The official Webster’s definition of a “postulant” is a “candidate or petitioner,” especially referring to someone interested in joining a religious community. Definitions help me, but this still doesn’t really get...