by Michael J. Sanem
Reflection on the daily readings for Give Us This Day, June 21st, 2022, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga: When I first started teaching high school theology, I was a mess. Arriving fresh from graduate school, on fire with a love for the Gospel and for social justice, I struggled to communicate what was in my …
It wasn't a particularly inspiring line from yesterday's Gospel that stuck with me during my prayer: "The ruler of this world has been condemned." And yet there it was, nearly jumping of the page. I thought, perhaps, it connected with some of the research I was doing on the New Testament understanding of salvation. Certainly, …
Today would have been my grandpa William's 105th birthday. He only died six years ago so he lived a good long life. But, a good long life, when it ends, leaves a large void, no matter how ready they were to depart, or how long they walked beside us. After my grandpa died, I took …
He limped in off the street, leaning on a wheelchair that had “2nd Floor Pain Clinic” written on the seat. On the back, it just said “PAIN” in large letters. We had just endured twelve days of subzero temperatures in Kansas City, with lows in the negative teens. At Morning Glory Ministries, a social outreach …
Dear friends, Thank you to all who have read, shared, and supported my writing. My first short book has been published by Liturgical Press and will be coming out next week! You can find it here: https://litpress.org/Products/6816/Your-Church-Wants-to-Hear-from-You Please feel free to share with anyone who is interested in creating spaces for dialogue, listening, and accompanying …
If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.Luke 9:23 This is a frightening prospect. To be entirely dispossessed of everything that is not Christ, leaning more and more on him, entering every more deeply into the suffering of others: the sick, the migrant, …
I went to bed with a heavy heart last night. War, violence, and terror, once again. I remember watching the towers fall on live TV, my senior year of high school. I remember my college experience shaded by the war on terror, the destruction of Iraq and the long quagmire in Afghanistan. When I graduated, …
My new podcast, created in collaboration with Fr. Gerard Alba and my friend and musician Chris Duke, has launched! I hope you enjoy a listen and join us for future episodes. https://open.spotify.com/show/2GcEAJqrA1fOuH77moqI3s Who is God? Who am I? Join two curious Catholics, Fr. Gerard Alba and Michael Sanem, as they ask holy questions about life, …
Jesus My life, my love, and my hope I am beset by many anxieties as I walk the well trod path behind you. Jesus You asked me to follow youa long time agoand I havethrough times of bitter painand searing fearto delightful oases of rest,and peace,and joyful service. Jesus Help me not to lose hopeor …
My article on being a Listening Church and the New Evangelization has been published by the National Catholic Reporter today. You can read it here: https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/new-evangelization-has-problems-synodal-approach-can-help Additionally, I've written a short book on the Synod on Synodality called "Your Church Needs to Hear from You: What is the Synod on Synodality?" that will be published …
Continue reading "A Listening Church and the New Evangelization"
I finally caught the old Covid. Well, I guess technically it's the new Covid, the Omicron kind that doesn't go into the lungs, thankfully. But it wasn't fun in the head and sinuses either. At first I had to isolate for a few days from my family and from the outside world. That was, well, …
"You are my beloved . . . with you I am well pleased.” I find, even among people of faith, a certain reticence to being told they are God’s beloved. We often sidestep the issue: “Well, God only loves Jesus like that, not me.” Even now, as you’re reading this, you might be squirming a …
"Dear sister or brother, if, as in Bethlehem, the darkness of night overwhelms you, if you feel surrounded by cold indifference, if the hurt you carry inside cries out, “You are of little account; you are worthless; you will never be loved the way you want”, tonight, if this is what you are feeling, God …
"Let us begin again, sisters and brothers, for up until now we have done little or nothing," St. Francis of Assisi was fond of saying often. He even supposedly said it on his deathbed, as his "Sister Death" drew near. As Christmas draws near, and the New Year soon after, it might be helpful to …
"One day while I was praying, I lost all sense of God's presence," he said, and I could hear the pain in his voice. "It was just me, alone, talking to an empty room. Just talking to myself." We were at coffee, talking about faith, and about how sometimes spiritual growth can feel more like …
For All Souls' Day, 2021 The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.But they are in peace.For if before men, …
When I was young I was attracted to power, and to powerful people: pro football stars, wealthy superheroes, politicians, business owners, and world leaders. Real or fictional, I loved the idea of people who could make things happen, who could get what they wanted out of life and affect change, people who could "leave their …
“Let nothing disturb you,Let nothing frighten you,All things are passing away:God never changes.Patience obtains all thingsWhoever has God lacks nothing;God alone suffices.” For many, the word MYSTIC can conjure up images of stained-glass saints and ragged ascetics, or some VIP class of Christian who claims to have exclusive spiritual experiences of God, Christ, or Mary. …
"The Synod offers us the opportunity to become a listening Church, to break out of our routine and pause from our pastoral concerns in order to stop and listen. The Synod offers us the opportunity to become a Church of closeness, that does not stand aloof from life, but immerses herself in today’s problems and …
May He support us all the day long,till the shades lengthen and the evening comes,and the busy world is hushed,and the fever of life is over,and our work is done.Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging,and a holy restand peace at the last.Amen.—John Henry Newman (1801–1890) “Hail Mary, the Jesus of …
I will be celebrating my birthday this week and well, dear friends, it's been a year. A new baby, a new job, a new house, an old pandemic, and on and on and on. On the bright side, I am now well into my late 30s, and I have finally discovered that life does not …
My day begins with a quick dip into the office, where I talk to my hermanitas (I am hermanito) about everything going on in our lives. In just a few short years (and a once in a lifetime global pandemic), we have become as much a family as a workplace, which is to say that …
When we gaze into the eyes of someone we love and cherish, it's hard not to see God. The light we see in these faces, and the love they evoke in us, reminds us of God's loving, sustaining presence in our lives. But when we feel alone or abandoned, it's hard to imagine that God …
It’s 3 a.m. and I wake to screaming. Bleary-eyed, I fumble around for the baby monitor. I can’t see a thing in the sunbright display, so I close my eyes and listen: “Waaaaaaa!” Which baby is that? “WAAAAAAAAA!!!!” I still can’t tell. Was that a raspy and sweet cry, or a shrill and loud cry? …
Before I got married I asked my father to give me his blessing. I had already asked my future father-in-law's permission, and he had given it along with a lot of love and support. But for some reason, I needed my father to bless me. I'm not sure where it came from, what part deep …
My children are light sleepers, so when they fall asleep on me in the rocking chair, it can be a real challenge to get them into their crib without waking them up. Over time I’ve learned the delicate art of pressing them close during the transfer. That way, even if the chair and the floor …
Roughly a year ago, those of us in the middle of the USA faced the prospect of an extended lockdown. The shelves of Costco were empty of toilet paper and canned goods, and new mask mandates and social distancing requirements were being enacted across the country. And then it felt like everything was just, canceled. …
I wrote these Stations of the Cross with the Covid Pandemic in mind, as both a way to pray for those suffering but also to connect their suffering, and ours, with that of Christ. Each station recognizes the suffering of Christ at his passion, and connects that with a group that is suffering particularly during …
incarnation is everywhere 