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.
Chose to Ignore the Negative — and Pray
Do you know when to “ignore” others? Can you shut off what other people think (especially when it’s unfair)? Or are you bogged down in the thought processes of others? Hopefully not. You can become a slave to telepathy! Let God define you, not humans. What about the word, “ignore.” It sounds so harsh. Is… Read More ›
Christ being lifted up above all things
4. To the event of John’s Gospel the Liturgy of today’s feast adds the presentation made by Paul in his Letter to the Philippians. The Apostle speaks of an emptying of Christ through the Cross; and at the same time of Christ’s being lifted up above all things – and this too had its beginning… Read More ›
Labor Day: a spirituality of work
“Work,” the Persian poet Gibran writes, “is love made visible.” A spirituality of work is based on a heightened sense of sacramentality, of the idea that everything that is, is holy and that our hands consecrate it to the service of God. When we grow radishes in a small container in a city apartment, we… Read More ›
Brian Jones: Hell is Real
WATERED DOWN THEOLOGY During seminary, Brian’s concept about hell changed. After four years in college, Brian began to embrace a watered-down theology and skepticism about biblical authority. Brian thought, “How could God send people to hell that haven’t heard the Gospel?” Even though he was raised in a conservative-evangelical home, Brian started to believe that… Read More ›
Increased cohabitation rates mean more instability for children
New York City, N.Y., Aug 17, 2011 / 01:31 am (CNA).- Family instability continues to grow in the U.S. despite falling divorce rates for families with children. Researchers say an increase in cohabitation is part of the problem, adding that society’s “retreat from marriage” harms children and has particularly hurt poor and working-class communities. “In… Read More ›
Michael Casey on “Fully Human, Fully Divine”
Below is an interview of Fr. Casey January, 2010 where Fr. Casey shares his thoughts on what he calls his best book. Admittedly this is the most difficult of Fr. Casey’s books but well worth the effort. Fully Human, Fully Divine, which I think is my best book, is really just closely tied to the… Read More ›
For there were many against me.
Ps 55:18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. Have you ever felt like the whole world was against you? Feelings are very deceptive and can cause us a lot of worry, fear and anxiety. Most of the time when we feel… Read More ›
Male and Female and the Trinity
In the light of the New Testament it is possible to discern how the primordial model of the family is to be sought in God himself, in the Trinitarian mystery of his life. The divine “We” is the eternal pattern of the human “we”, especially of that “we” formed by the man and the woman… Read More ›
God governs in the affairs of men
And have we forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, sir, a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the… Read More ›
Open yourself to the Light of Christ
The Lord always respects the freedom of those he calls. There are cases where people, in encountering Jesus, close their hearts to the change of life to which the Lord is calling them. Many people in Jesus's own time saw and heard him, and yet did not open their hearts to his word. Saint John's… Read More ›