Oblate Formation 
Posts concerning Oblate and Novice formation. These include articles which are also applicable to most Christians, whether Oblate or not. Additional articles on instruction of various parts of the Rule can be found under that category.
Benedict of Nursia on the Value of Work
. . . One of [St. Benedict’s] most famous dictums was ora et labora: “pray and work.” His Rule served as the standard community rule for monasteries in the West for hundreds of years. Consistent with his dictum, the Rule of St. Benedict contains some wonderful passages about the value of work in addition to other… Read More ›
Time for mercy, but deep mercy
It is a time for mercy, no question about that. It’s the “Year of Mercy,” so proclaimed by the Pope. Holy Doors of Mercy have been opened ceremoniously in dozens of important basilicas, shrines, and cathedrals around the world [here’s a list]. This Pope will be known as the “Pope of Mercy” — feeding and… Read More ›
Are Trolls Turning The Internet Into A Festival Of Hate?
Have you noticed that people say some of the most hateful things imaginable on the Internet? Earlier today, I came across a Time Magazine article entitled “How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet“, and it made me reflect on my own experience as the publisher of a number of prominent websites. Over the years, I have… Read More ›
When A Bluebird Falls
Birds are so fragile and vulnerable. These amazing photos captured a drama with two of these little creatures that is every bit as poignant and heart-wrenching as any human story. Kudos to the photographer. The newspapers that carried these photos sold out in every country. 1) A female bluebird was hit by a car as… Read More ›
Sinful Anger in Social Media and the Loss of Civility
Social media in-and-of-itself is a good. Social media has given me the opportunity to become a writer and to grow in knowledge and skill in that area. I have been able to interact with people across the world who have written to me in response to articles that I have been blessed to publish. We… Read More ›
Don’t give in to discouragement
Psychologists tell us that one of the chief evils of our age, an evil apparently less evident in earlier ages, is that of easy defeat. Be this as it may, most people who are honest with themselves would probably have to admit to indulging in despondency. They are fortunate if they have nothing worse to… Read More ›
It is the duty of all to acknowledge Divine Law
“God commands all men everywhere to repent. He also commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and has assured us that all who do repent and believe shall be saved… [G]od… has absolutely promised to bestow them on all these who are willing to accept them on the terms of the Gospel –… Read More ›
8 Reasons Why It Is So Hard To Find Someone Decent To Marry
It is not easy to be single in America today. If you are a man, it can be exceedingly difficult to find a good woman to marry. If you are a woman, it is literally a miracle if you can find a good man to marry. So is it just our imaginations, or has the… Read More ›
If We’re Alone in the Universe, Why Did God Make It So Big?
The universe is big. I mean amazingly, astonishingly, stupidly big. You cannot imagine how big the universe really is. Not even the best scientists know how big it is, because even though our universe is 13.8 billion years old, light travelling from the edge of the universe hasn’t even had time to reach us yet…. Read More ›
The Many Aspects Of Love
We all know the expression, from Scripture, that “love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with… Read More ›