Brother Phil and Ben – Voice of Moreau

Most of the world calls it fútbol; some say soccer; but all agree that it is the beautiful game.  The sport not only demands physical fitness and mental acuity, but also a keen intuition that allows one to constantly see the whole field and pick up on the rhythms of the offenses and defenses therein.  … Continue reading July 11, 2026 →

Have you heard the expression “give them some grace”?  It’s all the rage and the latest example of the collapse of religious language into the vast junkyard of postmodern deconstructionism.  We all know what is meant by the phrase—cut them some slack, give them a break, take it easy on them, etc.—and we all certainly … Continue reading July 4, 2026 →

My grandfather was a fisherman.  He spent nearly every day of his thirty-year retirement standing on the banks of local creeks, reservoirs and lakes awaiting the thrill of the catch.  Other anglers—rod, reel, bobber, weight and bait in hand—would stare at him in a kind of stupor as he pulled crappies and blue gill, one … Continue reading June 27, 2026 →

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is a popular saying attributed to Michael Corleone of The Godfather.  The adage, which has deep roots in both the eastern and western philosophical traditions, is typically taken to mean that in order to be successful in this world, we must give constant attention to those who … Continue reading June 20, 2026 →

It probably comes as a surprise that the word community literally means “with walls.”  While we usually associate communities with radical openness and constant sharing among members, such idealism is probably more a symptom of our own spiritual naivete and emotional blind spots than it is an authentic vision of human relationships.  In a real … Continue reading June 13, 2026 &#859...

Christ speaks: Do your damn job.  Quit trying to be important.  Your very home burns to the ground as you—nozzle in hand—daydream about being the hero.  Your friendships flounder as you casually give day trading a whirl.  Your students cheered your name as you scored the winning bucket in the staff basketball game, yet they … Continue reading June 6, 2026 →

The front door and the back door are the two access points of the human soul.  The intellect, the ego, is front-facing, on the street, in public view.  We adorn this door with various accessories that make our homes look inviting, yet we secure it so as to be able to make a conscious decision … Continue reading May 30, 2026 →

Consummatum est is the curious way that St. Jerome translated Τετέλεσται, Jesus’ final utterance on earth (Jn 19:30). This word means “It is finished” and suggests that the drama of the created order finds its spiritual center in the Cross in which all existence is drawn together into a cohesive and enduring whole (Col 1:20).  … Continue reading May 23, 2026 →

Fertility and pleasure function as the two poles of human sexuality and, as such, reveal the truth about what it means to be an embodied being.  Because we are made “in the image of God” (Gen 1:27), the God whose every work is described as “good” throughout the six days of creation, it should not … Continue reading May 16, 2026 →

There is a time for everything.  Truly, if it can be felt, thought, imagined or willed, then it floats somewhere in the vast ocean of being, the primordial reality that simply contains the things that are.  We should not fight this fact of our human existence.  We should not pretend that we can control the … Continue reading May 9, 2026 →