Home Safe: A Vision of Umpire Jesus (Part 1)

Home Safe: A Vision of Umpire Jesus (Part 1)

I laughed at the cross. In a moment of profound irreverence, in the midst of a 30-day silent retreat, I beheld the candle-lit crucifix hanging high on the wall of the chapel just behind the empty altar, and I laughed.  I laughed out loud.  Why, you wonder?  Well, to...
God in All iThings

God in All iThings

“We’ll sing number six hundred and fifty in your song books.  Number six hundred and fifty.” As I reached for my nonexistent hymn book I realized that the tiny chapel in which I and my classmates were praying had, apparently, run out of hymnals.  And then a strange...
David Lynch the Apostle

David Lynch the Apostle

David Lynch is not frequently mentioned in the same sentence as Saint Paul the Apostle. But both Lynch and St. Paul end up earnestly articulating the message of Jesus in a way their audiences can understand and embrace. While Paul preached around the Roman empire,...
Of Soccer Heroes, Sporting Magic and Prayer

Of Soccer Heroes, Sporting Magic and Prayer

I’m not sure exactly when it was that I fell head over heels in love with the game of soccer, but I know exactly who was responsible.  From the early to the mid 2000’s, French soccer legend Thierry Henry glided across the pitch with an irrepressible combination of...
“Find a quiet place…”

“Find a quiet place…”

Almost every guide about how to pray I’ve ever read begins with the instruction “Find a quiet place…” including this one from TJP’s own Ryan Duns, SJ.  Of course, finding such silence grows more and more difficult, a fact that’s been brought home...