St. John of the Cross
The Freedom of Wanting Nothing but God
The words "nothing but God" can sound frightening. We imagine that surrender means losing everything that makes life beautiful. Yet St. John of the Cross points toward a deeper freedom: the ability to enjoy God's gifts without becoming enslaved to them. Spiritual poverty is not contempt for creation. It is recognizing that no created thing can satisfy…
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books
Books Read: October 2026
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher The Whistler by Ann Patchett The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson Death Masks by Jim Butcher The Healer by Gregg Luke Candy Apple Kisses by Amy Clipston The Best Christmas Gift by Tim LaHaye Matthew's Story by Tim LaHaye John's Story: The Last Eyewitness by Tim LaHaye Mark's Story by Tim LaHaye Healing the Mountain Man…
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St. John of the Cross
What Holds Your Heart?
Our hearts are shaped by what we love. Some attachments are obvious: possessions, comforts, recognition, or control. Others are hidden beneath seemingly good desires, such as wanting to be understood, appreciated, or treated fairly. St. John of the Cross does not teach us to stop loving created things. Rather, he invites us to love everything in its proper relation…
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St. John of the Cross
The Two Wings of the Soul
Two things serve as wings for the soul to rise toward union with God: loving compassion and self-detachment. We often think of holiness as a matter of giving things up. Yet detachment without love can become little more than self-discipline. St. John of the Cross teaches us that the journey toward union with God requires both freedom from disordered attachments and…
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St. Francis
Radical Witness: St. Francis continued
What If We Truly Gave Everything to Christ? What would happen if we truly gave everything to Christ? Not just the comfortable parts of our lives or the time we have left over, but everything ? In his homily for the Feast of St. Francis, Fr. Jantz challenged us to consider the extraordinary difference that one person, completely surrendered to Christ, can make in the …
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St. Francis
St. Francis of Assissi: Beautiful Homily
I was profoundly moved by Fr. Jantz' homily on the Feast of St. Francis. It is approximately from 14:15 to 31:10. Here are my notes from it: Three lessons from Francis's Canticle of the Creatures 1. Gratitude and poverty (Brother Sun, Sister Moon) St. Francis wrote the Canticle near the end of his life, when he was almost blind. He praised the beauty of…
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St. John of the Cross
God Is Not Absent
"O Lord, my God, you are no stranger to those who do not estrange themselves from you. How do they say that it is you who absent yourself?" -St. John of the Cross How often do we mistake God's silence for His absence? There are seasons when prayer feels empty, when our hearts seem cold, and when God appears far away. Yet St. John of the Cross reminds…
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