Author: Fr. Peter Kavanaugh

“There is a specter haunting our secular age, ‘the specter of meaninglessness’.”

A philosopher has said this about society. Specter is a good word for it. It is like a fog. In some parts of the country, dense fogs are said to roll in in a matter a minutes. The sun rises but its rays are hardly discernible. The whole city is cast in grey. Meaninglessness, drudgery, and doubt are the same. They are a presence, like the fog that haunts our culture today. Of course, this presence comes from our hearts. The pure in heart shall see God, because only the pure in heart can see anything. We Christians have to get serious about purity. Purity lifts the fog in our hearts and purity opens our eyes to the beauty of God.

Continue reading “The Pure See God”

“Unite my heart to fear your name” ~ Psalm 86:11

Bernadine of Siena moved the world with three letters. It was a time of political rivalry and warring factions. Bernadine travelled with a purpose, to bring peace, and he accomplished this purpose by one means. He carried before him always the letters ‘IHS’ – the first three letters of the Greek, ‘IHΣΟΥΣ’, Jesus Christ. Before the Name of God, painted boldly, surrounded by rays on a wooden tablet, the sick were cured and the strife ceased. The Name of Jesus is a name with power and healing. We need to meditate on this name, to breathe it, and to kindle in our hearts a most profound devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus. 

Continue reading “The Most Holy Name”

“The child’s father and mother marveled at what was being said” (Lk. 2:33).

There is an old story of a little prince and a rose. The prince lived on an asteroid far off in space. On that asteroid was a single rose, the sole affection of his heart. But the climate on the asteroid was not well suited for a rose. The winds blew. The sun beat down on it. Worst of all, stubborn weeds were a constant threat to the rose. The prince made it his whole life’s purpose to guard and nurture the rose. He treasured it, watered it, uprooted the weeds, and even kept a little glass dome over the rose to protect it. We have to guard and nurture our affection for Christ with the same focused diligence. 

Continue reading “Wonder: the Height of Soul”

I. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Christmas is just around the corner, but we are distracted. A gift is prepared in Bethlehem, but we are too busy to notice. Christ is coming, but we are hardly ready. In her wisdom and compassion, the Church reminds us today of John the Baptist crying in the wilderness, “repent.” Of what do we need to repent? It is the biggest problem in our life. It is the sole reason Advent exists, to heal us from it. It is summed up in one word: insensitivity. 

Continue reading “Awakening Wonder”

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hb. 12:13-15).

Continue reading “Reconciliation and Advent”

“Flee, be silent, pray always.”

God gave the Church a compass when he spoke these words to his prophet. In the fourth century, a roman aristocrat became disenchanted with the world. Known today as St. Arsenius, famous as a pioneer in early Christian monasticism, the man started out in a life much like yours and mine. Everything changed one day when he looked point-blank at society, listened to the popular opinions, observed the consumerism driving everyone, and had enough. He begged God for deliverance. A heavenly voice replied: “Flee, be silent, pray always.” This is our path too.  

Continue reading “Retreat from Worldliness”

In 1968, Senator Strom Thurmond was stopped by police for suspicious activity. They found him in the streets, jogging. When it first became a fad in the 1960s, jogging raised a lot of eyebrows. In fact, the New York Times ran an article that same year about all the weirdos suddenly running through the streets. Times have changed. In the past, people got their exercise by working in the farms or walking across town. With each modern convenience, it became important to find new ways to keep the body healthy. We learned to set aside specific time for physical exercise. In the same way, in today’s digital and fast-paced culture, we need to start taking seriously our need to keep our spirits healthy. We need to start setting aside time for spiritual exercise. As jogging and swimming are for the body, fasting and meditation are for the soul. 

Continue reading “Meditation in an Era of Distraction”

“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments” (Rev. 16:15).

Today begins a season of waiting. The nights are getting darker. The air is colder, crisper. With the change of seasons, the Church invites us into a new spiritual season: Advent. Around this time of year, the badgers are all burrowing into their dens. We Christians need to do the same, shutting off our televisions, turning down the lights, and retreating into the quiet den of our hearts. Advent arrives and offers the medicine we need most desperately. It invites us into a silence, a deliberate, focused silence, anticipating the joy of our Coming Lord. 

Continue reading “Joyful Anticipation”

What does it mean to be Christian in our world today? Christ’s words should ring in our hearts: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” This commandment should distinguish our habits, opinions, and schedules down to the minutest details. It should be our theme song. What does it mean and how do we live it? We walk out this path in the culture and rituals of our Church. The liturgical life, the sacred calendar, Vespers and Matins, and all the traditions of the Church. The more we tap into our Orthodox heritage of culture and rituals, the more we render to God what is God’s.

Continue reading “Rituals: Pillar of Christian Culture”

I. Redeem time. 

The entire spiritual life, the sole purpose we live and breathe, is summed up in two words: redeem time. Brother Lawrence was a young monk when he learned to redeem time. He was sent to the kitchen. For years on end, his single job was to wash dishes, and there, dish after dish, he used time to meditate on God. He discovered holiness in the mundane. We spend so much energy wondering what we should be doing, what would make life more meaningful, how we can be more fulfilled. Meanwhile, God only asks one thing from us: redeem time. Our relationship with God, our faith, boils down to nothing else but the way we handle time.

Continue reading “Encountering God by Redeeming Time”