Jonathan Ryan's Blog, page 6

Dark Devotional: A Wolf in Shepherd’s Clothing

Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds (Jer. 23:2). I was six years old the first time I experienced the death of […]

Dark Devotional: Prophet in a Bathrobe

For context, dear reader, a little “Inside Baseball” on how Sick Pilgrim chooses writers for our Dark Devotionals: There’s a list of contributors, a Signup Genius, and semi-monthly nagging reminders from the site administrators—pick a date, any date, please PLEASE guys just pick one.  Your friendly (well, some of us are friendly) neighborhood Sick Pilgrims […]

Throwing Stones at the Church

“It is precisely because you left communion with the Church that I think you have no right to throw stones at it.” This was aimed at me by a former friend who was upset at a criticism I made of the Catholic Church. The friend is former only because he chose to unfriend over it; […]

Things Keeping Us Going: Holiday Weekend Near-Washout Edition

  It’s been RAINING here in the Blackstone Valley since Thursday. My long holiday weekend plans of lounging on my parents’ boat at the lake house were scuttled in favor of more indoor pursuits: My daughter and I took grandson #1—Thor, on account of his being completely off of the growth charts in all categories—on […]

Dark Devotional: The Petulant Winds of Elation

Elation. The word St. Paul uses in the epistle today is one we use rarely and, when we do, it usually has a positive sense. But there’s also another meaning, which the Merriam Webster online dictionary defines as “pathological euphoria.” This definition refers to an experience that is more like a buzz than real happiness […]

Dark Devotional: Here Be Blood

A woman [was] afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse (Mark 5:25–26). I learned about the birds and the bees from the movie The Blue Lagoon and the classic sex […]

Rejecting Hell, Embracing Dependence

  Many times through the night, I nurse my 9 month old back to sleep. I didn’t know this with my first or my second, but by now, I can speak the language of the emotions he hasn’t yet learned to distill into even the word “Mama.” At first he’s just startled. Then, as he […]

Things Keeping Us Going: First Week of Summer Camp Edition

My school year as a preschool teacher ended last Thursday with a breakfast celebration in our school garden that every single family attended. The weather was perfect. The baked goods (prepared by my kiddos) were delicious. The families were so happy to enjoy the time together with each other and the children that we never […]

St. Average Joe

This is a continuation of our series recognizing the Year of St. Joseph.   St. Joseph as a father It is Father’s Day here in the United States, so it seems fitting to reflect on St. Joseph in his role as the earthly father to Jesus. Since the Church has elevated him to sainthood, it […]

Dark Devotional: Chapel Purgatorio

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:37–38).   When I hired at Catholic Answers in 2000, […]