Forgiving, But Not Forgetting: Navigating the Complexity of Healing
Fr. Kenn Nelan created the images in this post. The images in this post may NOT be reproduced or used without the author’s express written permission. In the tapestry of life, we sometimes find ourselves in situations where we are wronged, hurt, or betrayed. In these moments, we are faced with a choice – to hold onto the pain or let it go. When searching for answers, we are often told the best course of action is to forgive and forget. However, forgetting can lead us into further discomfort or even darker passages. I invite you to think a bit …
My Belief Is Better Than Yours
In our pursuit of faith, we often debate baptism, church membership, and the intricacies of doctrine. Rather than embracing the spirit of unity and love, we dissect and label the beliefs of others who don’t align with our own. We become theological surgeons, meticulously examining every aspect of doctrine that doesn’t neatly fit into our own understanding. The Allure of Certainty We crave certainty in belief. It’s human nature to seek answers, to want our understanding of the divine to be clear and unshakable. After all, in an uncertain world, the comfort of knowing that we’re on the right path …
Light a Candle or Pull a Sliver?
“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness” is a Chinese proverb meaning it is better to do something about a problem than complain about it. Lighting a Candle in Darkness vs. Removing the Plank from Others’ Eyes On the path of life, we sometimes face situations where we can choose to light a candle in darkness or attempt to remove the metaphorical sliver from someone else’s eye. These choices reflect our approach to empathy, self-improvement, and compassion. Lighting a Candle in Darkness Imagine encountering someone who is struggling, lost, or in pain. Lighting a candle in …
The Greatest Teaching: Pray for Your Enemies – All Of Them!
Imagine for a moment: Satan repents and begs God for forgiveness. His act of penance destroys evil in the world, and sin is eradicated. Now imagine this happens because people stop using fire to fight fire and instead begin praying for the enemy – as Jesus commanded. In Jesus’ teachings, the call to love our enemies is among the most profound and challenging. It encourages us to embrace a perspective of love and forgiveness, even for those who do their best to destroy us and make us miserable. Like most of Jesus’ teachings, there is no condition – no definition …
They Say Old Dogs Can’t… The Dog Has to Want to…
I’ve been holding on to a particular quote for the past six or seven months. It’s something that touched my soul back then due to a particular event that will be held close to the heart (in pectore) to protect those involved. Now, since this last bout has begun, the words resonate deep within chambers I had long since forgotten. It is, sadly, a familiar feeling. I don’t know why I allow myself to be used by those who allegedly mean well, but that’s something I’ll have to investigate with my own team of trusted individuals. But once I know …
A Lesson in Contextomy and the Importance of the Sitz
[ kon-teks-tuh-mee ] noun. the practice of misquoting someone by shortening the quotation or by leaving out surrounding words or sentences that would place the quotation in context. (also known as: fallacy of quoting out of context, quoting out of context) Description: Removing a passage from its surrounding matter in such a way as to distort its intended meaning. dictionary.com Pulling quotes out of thin air may seem innocuous to justify one’s point, but doing so leaves out crucial information that may completely change the meaning of what is represented. For an example of classic contextomy, let’s look at the …
A Time to Pray
My Sisters and Brothers; Over the next month, Jan and I will enter a period of deep prayer and discernment to discover where God is directing our hearts and souls. This will include being unavailable from about May 16 through May 24 – we are taking some much-needed “us” time to heal and work through what has happened since the end of March. For those who are not aware, near the end of March, the organization under which I was serving released a person from leadership who made claims about their credentials. After a lengthy investigation, it turns out they …
I’m Giving Up During Lent But Not On Lent…
During this season of Lent, there is something I am giving up – the past. Specifically, I will no longer hold onto the pain I’ve carried through many years of active ministry. The pain from my past does not serve my highest good. That being said, I will carry with me the lessons learned from the past, but I can no longer allow those moments – two specifically – to continue to define how I move forward. And so I share my tale with those who will listen to impart some wisdom and perhaps help others learn a lesson vicariously …
Tilting at Windmills and of Paper Cathedrals
Of Windmills Today, for some odd reason, I thought of windmills and Don Quijote, so I hopped onto Dr. Goo and typed in – “tilt at windmills.” (Google’s English dictionary is provided by Oxford Languages): tilt at windmills phrase of tilt attack imaginary enemies or evils. “the priest was too busy healing the sick to bother with tilting at ecclesiastical windmills” My only issue with the definition and example is that often the enemies or evils aren’t necessarily imaginary, though the circumstances or impetuses might be, otherwise, it’s “practically perfect in every way” (Mary Poppins). In this case, I am …