Michael Creavey's Blog, page 4

The Reign of True Justice (Isaiah 31:1-3,32:1-8)

Today's first reading from the Liturgy of the Hours' "Office of Readings" is very interesting. Thought I'd share:

Woe to those who go down to Egypt

to seek help there,

who build their hopes on cavalry,

who rely on the number of chariots

and on the strength of mounted men,

but never look to the Holy One of Israel

nor consult the Lord.

Yet he too is skilled in working disaster,

and he has not gone back on his word;

he will rise against the house of the wicked,

and against the protectors of evil ...

Love, and Do What You Will

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." (1 Corinthians 13:7-8)

In truth, I think everyone really knows this on some level. But many people may never even attempt to live this vision out because "all things" means precisely that. Love endures through good and through bad. This affirmation is a basic, fundamental truth lying at the heart of the Christian life. But sometimes fundamentals are persistently difficult for beginners to get down...

Transformed into Christ

Saint John of the Cross wrote that our transformation, our conversion and configuring to God could be likened to a piece of timber consumed by flames. Life, he wrote, is a long and often painful process by which our Lord purifies and sanctifies each one of us with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Just as a log thrust into a fireplace spends a great deal of time first being heated and dried out, so too does the fire of God's love warm my soul and begin to dry it. As my damaged nature and my sins are...

Enough's Enough

It never ceases to amaze me just how elusive gratefulness tends to be - is it just me? Just look around us in a typical day and you'll see what I mean:

● I got a good grade... but it wasn't good enough.

● I make a few extra bucks helping a neighbor move... but it's not enough cash.

● Gas prices come down... but not enough.

● My apartment rent is pretty cheap for a place this size... but not cheap enough.

● My day went pretty well... but not well enough.

When is "enough" enough? What can I poss...

Doves AND Serpents

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

The Greek words used by Matthew in this text are intriguing. The term he uses to describe how we are to be like serpents is φρονιμοι (phronimoi) or "prudent", "wise", "shrewd." The word used to describe the dove-like behavior we should demonstrate is ακεραιοι (akeraioi) or "pure", "innocent", "harmless".

While the peaceful, beautiful, heartwarming dove is probably not...

The Deeper Meaning of "Resurrection"

The word "resurrection" is practically, and in my opinion somewhat blandly, defined as "a rising again, as from decay or disuse." This notion of disuse might lead us into some helpful territory for reflecting more deeply on Christ's own Resurrection.

Recall for a moment the "disuse" by Adam and Eve of the blessed primordial human condition of paradise. Coming through disobedience to view one another as the means to lustful fulfillment rather than complementary partners making visible God's loving...

On the Way with The Way

Human beings live between being and becoming - who we are and who we are not quite yet. German philosopher Josef Pieper referred to this as our ,status viatoris, in his wonderful little book ,On Hope,. We are all wayfarers, a people on the move, pilgrims in a strange land that is

familiar, but not quite home.

Likewise, Dr. Peter Kreeft has explored this curious situation in which we are find ourselves by pointing out that "we alone can fail to achieve our nature"; dogs are always "doggy", cats ...

What's the REAL Threat?

Many years ago Archbishop Fulton Sheen pointed out that sometimes God lets us struggle with carrying certain crosses in life in order to protect us from larger, more dangerous ones. For instance, Sheen explained, God may allow someone to struggle very desperately with lust in order to avoid the greater sin of pride. A person so aware of his or her own weakness in this area may be more able to discover humility and thus avoid be drawn into the devastation that awaits when we are caught up in prid...

The Glory of God's Grace

Grace. It's such a commonplace word in the Christian life but I have to admit I sometimes think that I don't really understand it any better now than I did ten years ago. If you're like me, you start with the dictionary. Incidentally, one of my Confirmation students years back did the same thing, but he picked the wrong definition to put down on a test: "Effortless beauty or style," he wrote quite confidently. I had to laugh - I wasn't asking him about the Olympic ice skating sort of grace!

Here'...

The Faith and Example of St. Thomas More

"I die the king's good servant, and God's first."

One of my favorite saints is Thomas More. More was a man with an astounding intellect, charming wit, and above all, a truly remarkable faith in Jesus Christ. Rising to the peaks of secular power in England, More was soon embroiled in controversy and political turmoil. Rather than "take to the airwaves" like today's talking heads on any number of "media" outlets (which, sadly, seem to now be nothing more than echo chamber propaganda machines), More...