by Fr. Luke As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Do you ever wonder if any of the deserters came back? If so, the following tale might be of interest to you.   Howdy! My name is Caleb. You don’t know me, but it was my brother that Jesus healed one after...

I once worked as a cameraman at a TV station. Each day, I would truck the camera from the weather set to the news desk, then wait for a signal to cue the news announcer. On this particular day, Julie Jones—not her real name—is seated sideways at the desk, conferring with the weatherman. “Six seconds,” intones the control room engineer...

Johnny Cash played concerts in prison. When asked the reason, he replied, “Because I’m a Christian.” “When I was in prison, you visited me.” A metal door slams. I turn my back to the guard and stretch out my arms. After the pat-down, I surrender my ID at the sally port, cross the exercise yard and head to the mess hall. A line of...

I set the alarm late in order to sleep in, but my internal alarm harbors other intentions. I wake at the normal time but not in my normal, well-rested manner. Instead, I am panting from a dream of running across a church parking lot that is packed with cars. I’m frantically searching for my own vehicle so I can speed out of town to another church...

The filly arrived at my place in need of training. After four weeks, she was ready to return home as a gentle, respectful mount. When I called her owner to pick her up, he surprised me by asking if I’d like to keep her as my own. It had been a dry summer and I suspect his feed costs were high. I happened to have a vacant pasture at the time, s...

The death of my sister calls me home to Ohio. The week of her funeral, I find myself driving down the country road to my brother’s farm, the one on which four generations of our family were raised. My mood is somber, but my spirit is buoyed by the faith that resides in the loam of the soil as well as the humble lives that comprise this rural c...

A Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent I’ve trained quite a few horses in my life. Some of them left an impression, literally. Just ask my x-ray technician. I remember, in particular, a colt named Moonshine. He appeared calm when that his owner dropped him off at my place. But the next day, when I slipped a halter across his ears, Moonshine...

The voice of hospital receptionist sounded concerned. “His name is Angel.” She was calling to inform me that a family was requesting my presence at the bedside of a man who did not have long to live. It was Ash Wednesday. I was filling-in for a vacationing pastor, so I checked the Mass schedule, then told the receptionist that I would ...

Two nuns occupy a corner of the waiting room. I take a seat near the door. To my right, an elderly woman pages through a copy of People magazine. On the sidewalk outside the window, a mother is giving instructions to three children.  The oldest one, a boy, frowns and stomps his foot. Soon, they enter the door and the sisters beckon the family...

Having enthroned himself as a god, modern man struggles with the ideas of prayer.  Why pray for something with a touch of uncertainty when I know that Amazon can get it to me in a few days anyway?  I’m only slightly joking, but it is true that affluent and wealthy peoples have a harder time developing the healthy sense of need, of sending a req...