John Michael Talbot

2008-07-24T14:46:00.004-06:00

UNDERSTANDING GOD'S MYSTERIES
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:10-17

I use parables when I speak to them because they look but do not see, they listen but do not hear or understand. v. 13

Did Jesus use parables to make his teaching clear or mysterious? Most people think parables make spiritual teachings clearer and more understandable to the common listener. Ironically, Jesus said he taught in parables in order to keep the meaning obscure! In Luke’s Gospel he said, "To you the mysteries of the reign of God have been confided, but to the rest in parables, that 'seeing they may not perceive.'" Luke’s account shows Jesus almost intentionally clouding his real meaning by using parables!

THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES WISDOM

Today’s passage from Matthew is more passive than Luke's, yet both bring out the mystical role of Jesus in helping us understand spiritual realities. Both Gospels tell us that Jesus personally explained the parables to his disciples. Both quote Jesus as saying, "To the man who has, more will be given until he grows rich; the man who has not will lose what little he had." The more here refers to wisdom and understanding. How do we obtain wisdom? James wrote, "If any of you is without wisdom, let him ask it from the God who gives generously and ungrudgingly to all, and it will be given him. Wisdom is a gift from God, a gift of the Holy Spirit.

WISDOM FROM GOD INCREASES

The wisdom to understand Jesus' parables cannot be learned through natural knowledge. Paul wrote, "No one knows what lies at the depths of God but the Spirit of God." If we think we have the wisdom to understand Jesus' parables just because we are educated, then we will lose what little understanding we have. If we have understanding through the Spirit of God, whether we are educated or uneducated, our wisdom will increase to the point of great spiritual riches.

Seek the Spirit in your life, then Jesus' obscure teachings will become clear. Then Jesus will also say of you, "Blest are your eyes because they see and blest are your ears because they hear." Let us be eternally grateful that Jesus has given us his Spirit to personally reveal God's mysteries and wisdom to us.

John Michael Talbot

2008-07-23T09:17:00.000-06:00

GOD ALONE IS ENOUGH!

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2008-07-21T13:01:00.008-06:00

SEEK GOD, NOT HIS GIFTS
Gospel Reading: Matthew 12:38-42

An evil and unfaithful age is eager for a sign! v. 39

Are we "gift- oriented"? Are we "sign-seekers?" Many get excited about healings and prophecies and apparitions in other lands. But often, as soon as the excitement wears off, faith wanes and their lives return to old secular ways.

SIGNS & WONDERS ARE A WITNESS

Jesus recognized that miracles and signs give witness to God’s power, although he said with some exasperation, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you do not believe." And yet Luke affirmed in Acts that Jesus was, "a man whom God sent to you with miracles, wonders, and signs as his credentials." Signs also accompanied the apostles and the early church: "A reverent fear overtook them all, for many wonders and signs were performed by the apostles." Jesus himself promised, "Signs like these will accompany those who have professed their faith." So these and other scriptures tell us that signs and wonders are given by God to establish and strengthen saving faith!

UNDERSTANDING THE INCONSISTENCY

The story of Thomas helps us understand this apparent inconsistency. In order to strengthen Thomas' faith in his resurrection, Jesus appeared to him and said, "Take your finger and examine my hands. Put your hand into my side. Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe!" Then he said, "You became a believer because you saw me. Blest are they who have not seen and have believed." So we see that Jesus gives us signs and wonders because he knows we are weak. He loves us, so he meets us where we are. Yet he highly commends those who believe without seeing.

MATURE FAITH LOOKS BEYOND THE GIFT

Do we have such faith? Do we seek the gifts or the Giver of the gifts? Is it enough to simply remember the powerful salvation God has repeatedly brought into our life, or must we be constantly reminded? An adult remembers and calmly goes forward; a child must be constantly reminded and prodded to keep on going. Let us have the faith of a mature Christian. Let us be children no longer. As Paul wrote, "Let us, then, go beyond the initial teaching about Christ and advance to maturity."

John Michael Talbot

2008-07-18T21:45:00.002-06:00

OUR SABBATH REST IS IN HIM
Gospel Reading: Matthew 12:1-8

It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice … The Son of Man is indeed Lord of the sabbath. vv 7-8

In today's Gospel Reading the disciples were in clear violation of the laws of the Jews. God had said, "Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord, your God."

THE LAW EXISTS FOR PEOPLE

A deeper reading of Scripture shows a less stringent approach to the law. Jesus pointed out: "The priests on temple duty can break the sabbath rest without incurring guilt." And David when he was fleeing Saul, "... ate the holy bread, a thing forbidden to him and his men or anyone other than priests." The law said, "It shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who must eat it in a sacred place," yet David and his men ate the sacred bread even though they were not priests.

Jesus' words show that people do not exist only to serve the law, that the law exists for people, to bring them to God. The law manifests God’s holiness and his mercy. To lose sight of this is to keep the law in vain.

JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH

Another reason the disciples' actions were acceptable is because of the divine authority of Jesus. True, they were in obedience to the heart of the law, but they were also obedient to the Giver of the laws. Jesus is "Lord of the Sabbath." Here Jesus called himself God! It is essential that we see Jesus as Lord, as God.

HIS SABBATH BRINGS INNER PEACE

In fulfilling religious laws of the church do we look to the spiritual heart of the law, or do we only see externals? Do we appreciate the rest and holiness of a weekly sabbath, or do we work nonstop? Hebrews instructs us that, "A sabbath rest still remains for the people of God. And he who enters into God’s rest rests from his own work as God did from his." Jesus' sabbath brings deep inner peace, something not possible from mere externals.

John Michael Talbot

2008-07-16T21:36:00.005-06:00

HOLY IS HIS NAME

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2008-07-14T17:12:00.005-06:00

JESUS CALLS US TO RADICAL CHANGE
Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:20-24

He began to reproach the towns where most of his miracles had been worked, with their failure to reform … "I assure you, it will go easier for Tyre and Sidon than for you on the day of judgment." vv. 20, 22

"Reform your lives! The kingdom of heaven is at hand." When Jesus said this he was not talking merely about a "feel good" faith, but a faith that radically changes lives. He was calling us to change, and change now. Because of the difficulty involved, he used militant language: "If your right hand is your trouble, cut it off and throw it away!"

LOVE GOD, SEEK THE SPIRIT & CHANGE!

Granted, most of our change is a love response to the love of God and is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, it appears almost naturally in a life where the Spirit has been firmly and surely implanted. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace," declared Paul. But even so he wrote that the "gifts of the Spirit" must be sought, and even a gift requires a willful response to reach out and receive. Such a response requires change!

This is how Peter put it, "You must reform and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven; then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." After this the Acts account gives a description of the radical communal life of the church in Jerusalem, where not only "many wonders and signs were performed by the apostles" but also "those who believed shared all things in common."

BE READY TO GIVE JESUS EVERYTHING

Are we willing to radically reform, or do we still want to hang on to our comfortable way of life? The Spirit will not move freely in us until we are ready to give Jesus everything. This means we must be willing to change everything! Reform and we will live! Resist reform and we are dead already.

John Michael Talbot

2008-07-11T20:27:00.003-06:00

WITNESS BY THE SPIRIT
Gospel Reading: Matthew 10:16-23

You must be clever as snakes and innocent as doves ... The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. vv. 16, 20

Peter wrote, "Should anyone ask you ... be ever ready to reply." Our gospel reading tells us we must be both clever and innocent when we reply. But what does that mean and how do we do it?

TEACH BUT DO NOT ARGUE

Paul told Timothy to teach but not to argue: "I charge you to preach the word, to stay with this task whether convenient or inconvenient - correcting, reproving, appealing ~ constantly teaching and never losing patience." He also said, "Have nothing to do with senseless, ignorant disputations. As you well know, they only breed quarrels, and the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome but must be kindly toward all. He must be an apt teacher, patiently and gently correcting those who contradict him." Teach? Yes. Argue? No. Clever? Yes. Theological speculation? No.

Rely on the power of the Spirit when you give witness and simply state how Jesus has made your life different. If your life does not demonstrate your words, the words will be meaningless. If your life has changed, your words will be charged with power. As Jesus taught the apostles, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you; then you are to be my witnesses." At Pentecost the outpouring of the Spirit caused the empowered believers to make bold proclamations as the Spirit prompted them. Suddenly a handful of uneducated, working-class fishermen became eloquent preachers!

GOD WANTS TO USE YOU

Do we try to speak by our own power or by the power of the Spirit? Do we devise long speculative arguments to defend our doctrine? Remember that, right or wrong, no theology will be powerfully defended without the Spirit! If we seek the power of the Spirit, then our words become instruments of testimony before the small as well as the great. Twelve simple men were used as instruments of God to permanently change the world. God is willing to use you in the same way today!

John Michael Talbot

2008-07-09T14:04:00.002-06:00

COME WORSHIP THE LORD!

2008-07-07T14:30:00.003-06:00

REAP A HARVEST FOR JESUS
Gospel Reading: Matthew 9:32-38

The harvest is good but laborers are scarce. Beg the harvest master to send out laborers to gather his harvest. vv 37, 38

The needs of this world are great; the issues are pressing. Never before have our choices been so clear: Be pro-life or choose death; support military war and the unchecked buildup of nuclear arms, or seek peace; change our affluent life-style and preach the gospel to the poor or continue in our selfish indifference.

THE WORLD IS RIPE FOR EVANGELISM

Because of the clear consequences of our choices, the world is ripe for evangelism. When the need for gospel choices is so globally apparent, it becomes easier to proclaim the gospel. Because the need is obvious, presenting an answer becomes easy. The grey areas fast disappear in such an environment. It is like proclaiming the gospel in a prison. You do not have to convince a prisoner about the reality of sin. Inmates are intensely aware of the shortcomings of this world! All the evangelist must do is convince them that there is an answer.

UTILIZE BOTH WORDS AND ACTIONS

Scripture speaks of two ways of evangelizing. One is by speaking: "As you go, make this announcement: 'The reign of God is at hand!'" The other is by action: "Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal the lepers, expel demons." As Paul wrote, "How can they believe unless they have heard of him? And how can they hear unless there is someone to preach?" We need to proclaim by words, but words without action are cheap, while action without explanation is sometimes unclear. We need both in order to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ!

How do we proclaim the gospel today? Grave issues call for radical responses, but also loving, balanced, and sure responses. Learn your faith and change your life-style, utilize both words and actions. Then you will reap a great harvest for Jesus.

John Michael Talbot

Photo by Pierangelo Rosati

2008-07-04T21:20:00.003-06:00

VALUE LOVE ABOVE SACRIFICE
Gospel Reading: Matthew 9:9-13

He said to him, 'Follow me.' Matthew got up and followed him. Now it happened that, while Jesus was at table in Matthew’s home, many tax collectors and those known as sinners came to join Jesus and his disciples at dinner ... 'It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice.' v. 9-10, 13

Jesus' call requires radical and immediate response, and a response that is livable. Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets and became his followers. Of James and John it is said that they also immediately abandoned boat and father to follow him.

Jesus called Matthew just like the rest; Matthew responded like the rest. But Matthew then threw a party for Jesus at his house! Apparently Jesus' call to apostolic poverty and holiness did not forbid Matthew from making use of his house and maintaining contact with his old friends.

LOVE SATISFIES THE DEMANDS OF THE GOSPEL

There is a time to radically break with one’s past. Paul said, "Those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ," but he did not imply that we should break association with all non-Christians.

In the end, love will satisfy the radical demands of the gospel. Love calls us to poverty. Love calls us to holiness. Without love, poverty becomes an empty and life-draining curse. Without love, holiness degenerates into cold and heartless self-righteousness.

Paul asserted that: "If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and, with full knowledge, comprehend all mysteries, if I have faith great enough to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give everything I have to feed the poor and hand over my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."

LET US LEARN THE WAYS OF LOVE

Is our Christianity radical or fanatical? A fanatic fulfills the radical externals of poverty and holiness but does so without love. Love softens the edge of razor-sharp issues and changes the cutting edge from a sword that kills and maims into a surgical knife that heals. It brings us to a balance between no-compromise and the leniency of wisdom.

Let us be radical, rather than fanatical, about the issues of poverty and moral purity. Let us learn the way of love.

John Michael Talbot

Photo St. Matthew by Lawrence OP

2008-06-30T11:06:00.001-06:00

HAS COMMERCIALISM CHANGED THE CHURCH?
Gospel Reading: Matthew 8:28-34

The entire town came out to meet Jesus. When they caught sight of him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. v. 34

Jesus Christ is not always good for business. If we let him cast all the demons out of our life, we may have to change our way of earning a living. If Jesus changes our personal morality, then he will also affect our business.

Jesus said, "You cannot give yourself to God and money. I warn you, then: do not worry about your livelihood ... Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides."

DON'T LOVE THE WORLD OR ITS THINGS

Christianity cannot be compromised by commercialism. Yes, we must live in the world, but we must never be of the world. Jesus prayed to his Father, "I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to guard them from the evil one. They are not of the world, any more than I belong to the world." The Apostle John wrote, "Have no love for the world, nor the things that the world affords. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love has no place in him, for nothing that the world affords comes from the Father."

SHARE YOUR WEALTH WITH THE POOR

It is not only the spiritual dimension of detachment from possessions that makes Jesus a threat to our materialistic and commercial world. It is also his practical teaching about sharing our wealth with the poor. Our present expression of Christianity is a far cry from what was advocated by Jesus and the Apostles.

SPIRITUALITY OR COMMERCIALISM?

The selling of religious books, tapes, and records and the financing of large media and crusade ministries definitely affect many of our decisions in the church that would should be made by spiritual standards alone. Yes, God can work through these externals to manifest and accomplish his will, but economy should not dictate spirituality. Rather, spirituality should affect economy.

We must decide which door to choose: the door of spirituality or the door of commercialism. If we choose wrongly, we and perhaps the entire world, will perish.

John Michael Talbot

2008-06-27T20:05:00.006-06:00

DO WE HAVE GENUINE FAITH?
Gospel Reading: Matthew 8:5-17

I assure you, I have never found this much faith in Israel. v. 10

GO BEYOND EXTERNALS & FIND GOD

Those of us within religious structures have been given the scriptures, the doctrines, and the sacraments, and we enjoy God's benefits constantly. However, we must get beyond the external aids God has given us and really find God. Sometimes it takes the genuine faith of someone outside our church to remind us of this, someone like the centurion in today's gospel reading.

Paul spoke similarly concerning the old covenant: "It is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; it is those who keep it who will be declared just. When Gentiles who do not have the law keep it as by instinct, these men although without the law serve as a law for themselves. They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts. Their conscience bears witness together with that law."

This is not to say that Paul didn't think that the Jews benefited greatly from their covenant with God. "What advantage, then, of being a Jew, and what value is there in circumcision? The answer is, much in every respect. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the words of God." And later Paul said, "Theirs were the adoption, the covenants, the law-giving, the worship, and the promise." Jesus also recognized the authority of the Jewish leaders: "The scribes and the Pharisees have succeeded Moses as teachers; therefore, do and observe everything they tell you."

APPRECIATE WHAT WE HAVE

The same holds true for the new covenant in the church. Our bishops are successors to the apostles. Our pope succeeds St. Peter, whom Jesus ordained leader of the Twelve in his absence. Through them we have the Scriptures, the sacraments, doctrines established with apostolic authority, and an example of radical Christian living. We have been richly blessed by God. Yet it is often those outside the church or newcomers to the church who appreciate these gifts most. Those who live with these rich blessings every day tend to take them for granted. Do we?

John Michael Talbot

Photo by hans s

2008-06-25T11:45:00.002-06:00

DO NOT COMPROMISE THE GOSPEL
Gospel Reading: Matthew 7:6, 12-14

Do not give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before swine ... Enter through the narrow gate. v. 6, 13

Do we water down the salty taste of the Gospel so that more people can swallow it? Jesus does not expect everyone to receive the gospel: "How narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are who find it!"

MAINTAIN A BALANCE

Yet there is a balance to be maintained for Jesus also said: "You are to be my witnesses even to the ends of the earth."

Various scriptures show that the apostles were sensitive to the world’s response to their message and lifestyle. No doubt, the problems the early Christians had with civil governments led the apostles to their admonitions about obeying the government. There is also a healthy discretion and moderation encouraged within the Christian community! "We who are strong in faith should be patient with the scruples of those whose faith is weak; we must not be selfish."

Paul took a Nazarite vow in order to prove his sincerity to those under the law and to bring them into the freedom of the new law! This vow did not go against his conscience, for its small demands did not conflict with the greater demands of the gospel. "I made myself a slave of all so as to win over as many as possible ... I have made myself all things to all men in order to save at least some of them."

DEFER WITHOUT COMPROMISE

In all things, however, we must not compromise the essence of the gospel. It is possible to defer without compromise. A compromise is for ourselves and touches an essential of the faith. A deferment is for the sake of others and concerns mere externals. Too many small deferments can easily build into a compromise.

Is there a visible difference between us and the world? There should be. If there is not, then we have gone too far. As John wrote, "Keep oneself unspotted from the world." Do not compromise with the world in order to save it, for then you and the world will both be lost.

John Michael Talbot

2008-06-21T22:20:00.008-06:00

GUARD YOUR HEART:
DISCERN BETWEEN WANTS & NEEDS

Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:19-23

Remember, where your treasure is, there your heart is also. v. 21

DO OUR POSSESSION POSSES US?

Because of our sin nature it is very difficult to use what God has given us without setting our hearts on our possessions and making false gods of them. Instead of the beauty and abundant goodness of creation leading us to praise the Creator, our sin nature causes us to worship His material blessings. Instead of using our possessions, they begin to possess us and cause us to practice idolatry.

As Paul wrote to the Romans, "Since the creation of the world, invisible realities, God’s eternal power, and divinity have become visible, recognized through the things he has made. Therefore, these men are inexcusable …They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images …They did not see fit to acknowledge God, so God delivered them up to their own depraved sense to do what is unseemly." Paul also said that it is actually demonic spirits influencing these carnally oriented people: "You gave allegiance to the present age and to the prince of the air, the spirit who is even now at work in the rebellious."

ARE OUR SOULS IN DANGER?

Jesus warned us that if we possess more than we need, we increase the risk of losing our soul. God wants us to enjoy his goodness through creation, but he does not want us to be materialistic. We must discern between wants and needs. God wants to meet our needs, but unchecked satisfaction of all our wants will never satisfy our most basic need - healthy spiritual life!

Does the pursuit of our wants take up our precious energy, time, and money? Do we have more than we need? Do we worship creation more than we worship the Creator? If our commodities were used to benefit the poor, would God receive greater glory? If we worship the Creator, we will use creation only according to his plan. If we direct our energy toward wealth, our heart will have little time for God. On the other hand, if we set our heart on God, we will have little taste for wealth.

John Michael Talbot

Photo by Michael Holden

2008-06-18T12:11:00.003-06:00

TRUE RELIGION IS SINCERE & HUMBLE
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. v 4

RELIGION IS NOT 'FOR SHOW'

In speaking the words in this Gospel reading, Jesus had in mind the people of his day who practiced religion for show. He said of the scribes and Pharisees, "Their words are bold but their deeds are few ... All their works are performed to be seen ... These men devour the savings of widows and recite long prayers for appearance sake." Jesus had strong feelings about this kind of religion and said to those who practiced it, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you frauds!"

Paul fought against a tendency to return to external Jewish observances in Galatia. He was frightened that such practices would lead back to the pride and self-righteous religion Jesus condemned. "While these make a certain show of wisdom in their affected piety, humility, and bodily austerity, their chief effect is that they indulge men’s pride."

In his teaching on the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus said, "In your prayer do not rattle on like the pagans." Then he proceeded to teach a prayer that is simple, short, and humble, yet includes all aspects of a personal love relationship with God, which is the goal of prayer. Jesus also condemned those who fast "so that others may see they are fasting," but he went on to teach how to fast. He said, "When you fast" ... He does not say we shouldn't fast!

HIDE YOUR LIFE IN CHRIST

We should let our Christian works shine like lights to the world, yet we should never perform works just to be seen. We should be "children of God beyond reproach in the midst of a twisted and depraved generation - among whom you shine like stars in the sky." Yet, "your life is hidden now with Christ in God." There must be balance, a balance that brings humility and keeps our prayers and actions sincere.

Are we sincere? Or do we pray in order to impress? Are our good deeds performed in order to look "spiritual"? Instead, we must humble ourselves and hide our lives in Christ!

John Michael Talbot

2008-06-12T14:55:00.004-06:00

SCRIPTURE BRINGS LIFE
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:17-19

Do not think I have come to abolish the law and the prophets.
I have come, not to abolish them, but to fulfill them. v. 17

Jesus was not a rebel, he was a good Jew and an obedient son of an ancient faith - the faith of Abraham, Moses, and the prophets. All of Jesus’ actions and teachings were based on the law. Although he sometimes seemed to break the law, he always fulfilled the heart of the law, and he supported his action with scripture.

JESUS: THE LIVING WORD

Jesus, the Living Word, appointed living men to be his apostles and preach his word of salvation. They were anointed by the Spirit of the living God at Pentecost and empowered to fulfill their commission. Thus it was that the living God sent a living Word to a living people through the life of Jesus Christ and the apostles. The word is not written in stone, it is written in the life of Christ! "He is the God of the living, not of the dead."

EXAMPLE OF THE EARLY CHURCH

The early church of Acts 2 did not follow scripture alone, it followed "apostolic instruction." From this living apostolic tradition, the Old Testament was interpreted, and the New Testament itself was brought forth. It is because of this living tradition that Paul was able to say, "Owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another. He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law ... love never wrongs the neighbor, hence love is the fulfillment of the law."

Do we see the scriptures as oppressive laws from the past or as life-giving guidance for the future? Do we seek to "flesh out" the authority of scripture within the authority of the Spirit-filled church? Do we let both the scripture and the church speak to us with God-given authority?

RETAIN THE SIMPLICITY OF LOVE

Do the laws of Scripture and the church become complicated and burdensome to us, or do we retain the simplicity of love through them all? Remember, Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with your whole mind ... you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole law is based, and the prophets as well."

John Michael Talbot

2008-06-07T21:22:00.002-06:00

ANOINTED TO SHINE
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:13-16

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. In the same way, your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father. (v. 14, 16)

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter described Jesus by saying, "He went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil, and God was with him." Since to be a Christian means to be "Christ-like," we are to let our light shine by following his example.

CALLED TO BE ANOINTED

Jesus was anointed by God the Father with God the Spirit. At the beginning of his public ministry he said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore, he has anointed me." Christians, too, are called to be anointed by the Spirit! This causes their light to shine and brings spiritual power to their works. Jesus told the apostles to wait for the anointing of the Spirit before beginning their ministry. After Pentecost the apostles went forth with power and performed many signs and wonders.

DAILY CONVERSION NEEDED

It is possible to be anointed by the Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and to receive the baptism of the Spirit at a prayer meeting. But these valid gifts from God do not nullify the need for daily conversion and spiritual baptism. Paul urged Timothy to "stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when my hands were laid upon you." Jesus said, "Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps."

ASK FOR THE SPIRIT'S ANOINTING

If our words have no power, it is because they are not anointed. If they are not anointed, it is because we have not asked. Ask for the Spirit’s anointing today. Stir up the gift. Let your light shine before the world.

John Michael Talbot

2008-06-03T10:41:00.010-06:00

FINAL 2008 ROAD REPORT
FROM CANADA

Peace and Good in Christ!

Many Open Doors

The tour in Canada ended on a high note, with my being asked to participate in the Catholic Media Conference in Toronto. This was a first-of-its-kind conference with the Vatican Press Secretary, John Cardinal Foley, and the prelates of the major cities of Eastern Canada attending.

With His Eminence John Cardinal Foley

It was also a pleasure to be seated with Msgr. Owen F. Campion, who did so much with Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic journalism in general. The wonderful Catholic Television Network in Canada, Salt and Light, was instrumental in making this conference happen, and I had the joy of touring their facility. They graciously allowed me to tell the story of the monastery fire and to help raise much needed funds for the rebuilding project.

Last, but not least, I want to comment on the 480 representatives from Catholic media of all kinds from all across North America who attended the Conference. I found myself in awe of these great men and women of God who have accomplished so much, yet have retained an attitude of humble service for God, the Church, and humanity. I felt privileged to observe their Christ-like demeanor and words in action at the conference.

It seems that Canada is opening her doors to us. Their outpouring of compassion and support after the monastery fire still awes me. Their dioceses welcome my music and teaching ministry, and many are earnestly inquiring about the domestic expression of our community. I am seriously considering spending more time there. Time will tell, and God's will be done.

Thank You, Canada!

So thank you Canada! Viola and I now carry you in our hearts before God in Christ.

In Jesus,
John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

Top Photo of Toronto from Creative Commons by palestrina55

2008-05-28T13:36:00.003-06:00

2ND ROAD REPORT FROM CANADA
May 2008

Peace and Good in Christ!

We are headed toward the end of our tour in Canada. We were received in the western provinces with overwhelming excitement, support, and compassion. The clergy and laity proved to be most gracious.

PLEASANT STOPS & FELLOWSHIP

Since my last report we have stayed in several rectories and retreat centers, which was a most pleasant way to meet clergy, religious, and laity in the cities we played in, especially when they were actively involved in greeting us and taking time to fellowship without being intrusive. We also stayed in some hotels. I must admit that the bus/hotel/church concert works very well in conserving energy on these tours, but I was beginning to feel a bit trapped in the tour "bubble."

We have also stirred some interest in the domestic expression of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity. In both India and Canada, it has been fulfilling to see quality church members interested in our community, and I am inspired to return to both next year for follow up.

UNFORGETTABLE SCENERY

This trip has also afforded us an experience of Canada that is scenically unforgettable. In Fort McMurray we took a highway that stretched 300 miles and passed only one gas stop; all we saw were miles and miles of forest. Likewise, at the Rafter 6 Ranch in the Canadian Rockies we enjoyed a most needed stop along the way. Not only did we get to do a concert and teaching on Christian Meditation in their beautiful hand-built chapel, but we were treated to a carriage ride through the ranch and onto the First People's (Native American) Land. We made many new friends and potential community members there.

CALGARY A SPECIAL SURPRISE

Calgary turned out to be a special surprise. I did four appearances in Calgary: three concerts and one music ministry workshop. I was afraid that was too many appearances for one city, but each event was nearly full and was enthusiastically received.

DONATIONS FOR REBUILDING FUND

At every stop we reported the monastery fire and many churches took up a collection for fire relief. We were humbled by their great compassion, evidenced in outpourings of prayers, good will, and donations for our monastery rebuilding fund!

IN TORONTO NOW

We are in Toronto now for the 2008 Catholic Media Convention. I did some TV programs for my host, Salt and Light Television in Canada. What a balanced and beautiful media ministry Salt and Light is! I will also do a concert and sing at Liturgy. Cardinals, Bishops, Vatican officials, and other dignitaries are here along with all the rest of us, and it is great to rub shoulders with such holy and dedicated servants of God. They teach us a lesson on how to be all the more humbled the higher one rises in positions of leadership and authority in the Church.

That's it for now. I hope to write one last report on this conference before we return to the States on Friday.

In Jesus,
John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-05-22T22:24:00.006-06:00

IN-DEPTH FIRE DETAILS

VIDEO TEXT

Some of you have heard of the terrible fire we had at Little Portion Hermitage about three weeks ago, at this point. I’m in Canada. I was told by the community to go ahead and come to Canada even though we had suffered this devastating loss. It took our entire church, as well as the monastery community center. It took everything. It burned very, very quickly. In a little over an hour the whole place was engulfed in flames. I was the first to see it.

At almost midnight I came around the corner and saw the back of the church completely engulfed in flames. It was a devastating, sinking experience to see. I then went up the hill banging on doors and screaming at the top of my lungs that there was a fire, and we needed help. The community came out and was absolutely heroic. We were able to go into the common center and get a few things.

We lost almost everything. In the community center we lost our kitchen - all of the processing that we do for our free-range chickens was done there. We lost our dining room, the refectory for the common center, and schoolrooms for children of the families at the monastery. We lost all the John Michael Talbot stock that was in our inventory, which was a significant amount. We lost our offices that took care of both our farm outreach and also the ministries that I do with recording, with concertizing and with book writing and speaking.

Probably the saddest thing we lost was the archives of the community, and these are irreplaceable: pictures that my mother had all the way back when I was a little baby, all the early recordings I did with the group Sounds Unlimited and then with Mason Profitt. And for that matter, we lost a lot of our family history in that regard. Most of the history for the last 30 years was gone in the fire. Also a huge loss for us was the loss of our library. We had hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of spiritual books, a wonderful library – small but powerful. Some of that can be replaced; some of it is irreplaceable, out of print, older books. So it was a devastating loss.

The community began trying to fight the fire. There was only so much we could do: the men with the hoses that we had. I know that I was overcome twice. The second time I also lost my sight and some of us suffered from the effects of smoke inhalation. I remember thinking when that happened, that this is the way people die in fires, they pass out and they burn up.

The sisters were running into the far end of the community center and grabbing whatever they could get, which, in the long run, turned out to not be much. The fire companies finally came. We live 30 minutes from the nearest town so they got there after about 40 minutes; four different volunteer fire departments from four different towns. They did an absolutely astounding heroic job at keeping the fire from spreading further. It could have hit our garages where gasoline for our farm machinery is and could also have hit our propane tanks, and that would have been beyond terrible. They saved our prayer garden and the little chapel called the Portiuncula Chapel.

In the days following we went into survival mode, and we took one of the family dwellings that was empty and we are now eating our meals up there together, doing our community meetings up there together. The offices are in the same space. The Troubadour for the Lord Publishing is back up and running. We pray in the little Portiuncula Chapel down by the garden. We’ve cut way back. I believe that God stripped us to the bare essentials so we could get ready for an even better future.

In the history of monasticism in America there seems to be a two-fold progression. One is a community builds with wood, it burns down and then they build a monastery out of stone. There is even a saying that says until a foundation has been founded with stone buildings, it is not yet really founded. So this might be a way, a painful way, but a way nonetheless, that God wants to take us to that second stage because the buildings that we were in had always been understood as being beautiful indeed, but temporary. It is always a good reminder that anything we build is temporary, that here we have no lasting home.

We need your help. After the fire there was a huge outpouring of compassion and love and support from our local community in Eureka Springs and Berryville, Arkansas. Our diocese was very generous, Benedictine communities have been very generous.

We need two things: first we need prayer because that is the greatest, most powerful gift that can be given. So please pray for us as we go through this refounding and rebuilding. It will probably take us over a year to be fully settled again. We also need your money. The insurance - it is not really an insurance company that we are with - we are with a risk pool and trust called Christian Brothers, and they are going to help us out. They are very good people, very compassionate in these kinds of situations. They will help us, but it will not be anywhere near enough to rebuild completely. So, we are asking for donations at this point in time. You can go to the website, to johnmichaeltalbot.com and there is a place there where you can donate. We’ve received a couple of very large donations; we’ve received a kind of medium-level of donations that are very charitable, again, mainly from organizations. The bulk of the donations we are receiving are in the ten to twenty to a hundred dollar to five hundred dollar range and these are not unimportant. We figure we are going to need a couple of million dollars to totally rebuild the way we need to rebuild with present costs in today’s world. But we get there a gift at a time and a prayer at a time, so please help us.

The website also has pictures. You are welcome to look. My experience is that the pictures did not and could not capture the intensity of that fire and the ferocity of it. It was powerful, it was hot and it burned fast.

So thank you very much. We thank you in advance for your help, for your prayers, and for any financial gift you can give.

John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Director
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-05-20T16:53:00.005-06:00

THE WISDOM OF BEING CHILDLIKE
Gospel Reading: Mark 9:30-37

If anyone wishes to rank first, he must remain the last one of all and the servant of all. v. 35

This gospel reading tells us that in order to become the greatest, we must become the smallest. It also tells us to look for Jesus not in the presence of some great person, but of a child. This scripture speaks both of children and of welcoming others: "Whoever welcomes a child such as this for my sake welcomes me."

HAVE A CHILDLIKE OPENNESS TO GOD

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus said in reference to our work with the poor, "I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me." Jesus calls us not only to a humble and childlike openness to God, but to an openness to the poor, who often are repulsive to us, reminding us of the deficiencies of our society and the ever-present possibility of our own material failure, or, worse yet, of the poverty of our soul. But if we are to be childlike, we must be open to the poor. It is the demand of today's gospel. If we are open to God, we must be open to people.

SEEK TO BE LAST & TO SERVE OTHERS

This gospel reading calls us to serve others, to seek to be "last," to be "the servant of all." If we are children, we will be servants. This appears foolish to us. As Paul says, "God has put us apostles at the end of the line. We are fools on Christ's account."

Are we childlike? Are we open to the full action of the Spirit in our life? Are we willing to deal with the scandal of poverty by working with the poor? Are we willing to become least and let others be great? If we think we have passed beyond such childlikeness, then we are merely childish. If we have not yet reached the attitude of a child, then we are not yet wise.

John Michael Talbot

2008-05-15T13:11:00.008-06:00

Note: This was written before the recent fire; Recovery updates will continue as available

TRY & TRY AGAIN!
Gospel Reading: Mark 8:22-26

A second time Jesus laid hands on his eyes, and he saw perfectly. v.25

Even Jesus had to try more than once in healing the blind man at Bethsaida! In a sense you could say that Jesus' own example gives credence to the old saying. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." No doubt there are many areas in our own Christian life where this is necessary.

Christian Life Is a Process

Perfection doesn't happen overnight; total perfection doesn't happen at all. However, a substantial mastery over life's various problem areas is possible with daily work and patience. Jesus instructed us to take up our cross daily. Paul spoke of the struggle between his flesh and his spirit, and told us that he often did the things his spirit didn't want to do. John wrote of a continual process of confession, repentance, and forgiveness. We can't broad jump into victory and healing, we usually take one step at a time.

Repetition, Patience & Perseverance

Just as our personal Christian life is a process, ministry to others is also a process. We must be ministered to repeatedly through many steps; likewise, we must minister to others through many repeated steps. This is the essence of today's Gospel. Jesus healed the blind man of Bethsaida through steps. It didn't happen all at once. In a sense, this also happens with ministry in general. Jesus said that if they don't receive you in one town, shake the dust from your sandals and move on to the next. This involves repetition, patience and perseverance.

Are we willing to "try and try again" in our Christian life? Remember that losing a battle does not mean you have lost the war. Today's Gospel reading teaches us that even Jesus used a process to heal the blind man at Bethsaida. His healing wasn't instantaneous. We should not be discouraged if sometimes we must do the same.

John Michael Talbot

2008-05-13T19:47:00.006-06:00

ROAD REPORT FROM CANADA
& FIRE RECOVERY UPDATE

Peace and Good in Christ!

We are about one-third of the way through our Montana/Canada tour. After the monastery fire it was difficult, to say the least, to still go out on this tour. But the community said that we should go, so here we are.

SURROUNDED BY GOOD WILL

We have been warmly and compassionately received everywhere. Concert audiences have been overwhelming with free-will offerings for the rebuilding fund. Emotionally and spiritually, we have simply been surrounded by good will and love at every stop. It is overwhelming for me, and I am most grateful for the brothers and sisters everywhere who make us feel so loved and supported. God is good!

Since I have not toured in these areas before, the audiences have been similar to my early days of ministry in more established JMT areas. This has been true for Great Falls, MT and Alberta, Canada so far. Staying with the Poor Clares in their new monastery and guest house in Great Falls was a great way to start this concert tour. Red Deer was full. We had a sell-out in Sherwood Park.

A special surprise was playing for the annual priest retreat for the priests of Calgary at Sanctum Retreat Center, founded by our friends, Kristoph and Mariette Dobrowolski. The natural beauty of the sacred place, coupled with the holiness of the priests and staff. made this a special stop. We have been received by full and sold-out churches. Though a real minister does just as well for 12 as for 1200 or 12,000, I must admit that it has been a needed boost after the devastation of the monastery fire.

BASICS ARE BACK UP & RUNNING

At home at Little Portion, the community has simply been amazing in their response to the fire. They are tired and exhausted, but the love people everywhere have expressed has blessed them enough to keep going. The basics are back up and running, at least for the interim. We are already looking at monastic, yet modern and "green" designs. The rebuilding will begin as soon as possible, but not in a rushed fashion. That's it for now. Please keep us in your prayers. That is the greatest gift you can give.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-05-08T08:33:00.000-06:00

Update from JMTM Operations Manager
May 8, 2008

I've just returned from a few days at Little Portion to help with the work of setting up the office space in the temporary Common Center, which is now located in a vacant family hermitage. The computers are in place, a telephone system was installed, and a temporary internet connection is now working. Boxes of CDs have arrived to replace lost inventory.

Photos of the damage are wholly inadequate to convey the scope of the disaster. Even now, more than a week after the blaze, there is a sharp odor and tingling sensation in the nose when approaching the burn site. Many in the community still have bronchial irritation. Due to the ongoing investigation by fire department officials, we are still not allowed into the rubble to check the contents of our fireproof filing cabinets and safe. I was told that it is not likely that anything is left even there.

The community members are amazingly resilient and are busy getting back to business, while continuing their daily monastic routine of work and prayer. Daily prayers and Mass are held in the Portiuncula Chapel which was constructed of stone a few years ago, and the noon meal is served in the temporary Common Center. The farm, gardens, and animals were not affected by the blaze, and farm operations have continued. Monday morning, as usual, a truckload of frozen chickens was delivered to buyers a few hours away.

John Michael and the ministry team are in Canada, at the beginning of a nearly month-long tour of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The community felt that the tour should go on as scheduled, that it is important for all of the ministries of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity to continue in full swing.

Donations continue to come in from all directions. Our dear friends at Oregon Catholic Press notified me yesterday of a substantial donation that is on the way from their offices. Friends and fans from all over the world have logged on to John's website and donated generously. Members of the news media have been kind to help spread the word of our tragedy and our need, and I have received hundreds of e-mails with promises of prayers.

We treasure our supporters, donors, friends, and fans who have come forward to help. Please know that the community prays for you daily.

Jim Cosgrove
Operations Manager
John Michael Talbot Ministries

2008-05-07T19:36:00.003-06:00

FIRE UPDATE
FOR FRIENDS & CUSTOMERS

Due to the fire at Little Portion Hermitage on April 29, our stock room, shipping facilities, and inventory of JMT books and recordings have been destroyed.

We are in the process of setting up temporary office space and will also be shipping orders from another location as soon as possible, perhaps within a few days.

Thank you for your patience, prayers and donations. Should you desire to place an order in the midst of these circumstances, or make a donation, click here.

2008-05-04T19:35:00.006-06:00

The comments posted by you are encouraging to us.
We appreciate each one more than we can say.
Likewise, your prayers are important to us;
we are grateful for them.

Please continue to pray for physical stamina, strength,
and recovery from smoke inhalation for
community members.

Updates on the recovery efforts at the Monastery
will continue to be posted as progress is made.

2008-05-04T19:23:00.005-06:00

THANK YOU

Many thanks for the overwhelming response to the tragedy of the monastery fire at midnight Monday AM. We are all exhausted, but have gotten the basics of integrated monastic life up and running again.

We could not do it without your prayers and donations. We take none of them for granted, but are humbled to mutual prayer with every gift. Thank you.

John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-05-04T19:12:00.002-06:00

Note: this article was written before the recent fire.

UNITY CREATES CREDIBLE WITNESSES
Gospel Reading: John 17:20-26

That all may be one ... that the world may believe that you sent me. John 17:21

Christians are not united, and the world does not believe. This fact is a sad indictment upon our witness, but unfortunately is true. Unity is not some kind of ecumenical beast out to gobble up orthodoxy; nor is it an exercise in building one’s own church persuasion into an all-controlling empire. Instead, it is a matter of obedience to the Word of Jesus Christ. It is also a matter of credibility before a watching world.

UNITY COMES THROUGH THE SPIRIT & TRUTH

Jesus give unity through the Spirit and through truth. Jesus himself is the way, the truth, and the life. He chose and commissioned his apostles to preach his truth to the world. They, in turn, established successors to their ministry so that an apostolic succession spread through the world. When there was a question about truth, the early church appealed to this succession. From this process came the Scriptures themselves. Thus, the authority of the Scriptures builds on the authority of the church established by God. If you deny the authority of the early church, you end up destroying the authority of the Scriptures.

There is much greater unity than that of church structure and doctrine found in the doctrine of Spirit. It is possible to be united structurally and doctrinally with a Catholic, and yet be disconnected in the Spirit. Likewise, I can be disconnected in structure and doctrine with a Protestant, but be united in Spirit. If I choose between the two, I definitely choose the latter as the greater and most gratifying unity, though I admit that neither unity is really complete.

God wants our unity to be like the "body of Christ" with a body, a soul, and a spirit. The body is structure; the soul or mind is doctrine; and the spirit is the Holy Spirit.

UNITY IS A MATTER OF CREDIBILITY

Let us pray that the various levels of unity now enjoyed between professing Christians will grow to completeness. Let us begin within our own church and work outward. Let us begin person-to-person and then proceed church-to-church. Let us do this not to build our own church, but to give credible witness of Christ to the world.

John Michael Talbot

2008-05-02T10:03:00.002-06:00

MONASTERY FIRE UPDATE

WORK OF RECOVERY HAS BEGUN

The work of recovery has begun. John Michael and the General Council have met with the insurance company and fire investigators, and the awesome task has begun to identify everything that was lost. The fire department has not yet pinpointed an exact cause of the fire, but it was ruled accidental. Troubadour offices are being set up in a vacant hermitage, and computers, internet service, and networking equipment will be installed by Monday May 5th. One telephone line has been restored, and others will be operating by Monday also.

The archives, containing 30+ years of photos, videos, books and papers, which documented the birth and history of the community was a complete loss. Thankfully, there are many members of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity Domestic who have offered their own photos and documents from those times to help rebuild the recorded history of the community.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Many have asked what the needs of the community are at this time. Most of all, prayers are needed for the members of the community as they start the clean-up, recovery, and rebuilding process. They are all experiencing bronchial difficulties due to smoke inhalation and fatigue and even exhaustion in these early days. Please pray for strength of spirit and body for them.

There is an immediate need for donations, even though the insurance will help with the recovery. The immediate tasks of setting up makeshift office space and shipping areas, kitchen supplies, office furniture and equipment are all expenses that are being incurred now. As we look ahead to the rebuilding of the Common Center and Charity Chapel, there will be additional funds needed to construct the new buildings from stone and in a manner that is eco-friendly and energy efficient.

Click here to make donations to the Recovery Fund. (For amounts greater than $1,000 by credit card, please call 870-559-3062.)

Visit the John Michael Talbot website by clicking here.

MOST IMPORTANT

Above all, please pray for John Michael and the community as they work to rise from the ashes of this disaster. Additional prayers are also requested as John, Viola, and John Cotton leave on Saturday for a tour of Western Canada.

Jim Cosgrove
Operations Manager
John Michael Talbot Ministries

2008-04-29T13:23:00.002-06:00

MONASTERY FIRE & AFTERMATH

2008-04-29T12:23:00.004-06:00

FIRE AT LITTLE PORTION MONASTERY

Peace and Good in Christ!

Last night the sleep of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity, Monastic, was interrupted close to midnight as a raging fire burned our Chapel and Common Center to the ground.

Viola and I were the first on the scene as I saw the orange/red glow through our hermitage's back windows. Upon arriving we found there were no hoses capable of stopping the raging flames. I ran up the hill and woke up the community, and we started the almost futile task of spraying down the part of the Common Center that had not yet burned and retrieving anything from inside we could still find.

Although I have seen some house fires, I have never seen anything this big. The flames reached high into the sky. The smoke was very dense, as was the heat. Despite this, our people ventured into the smoky building to retrieve whatever they could reach. Some of us suffered from smoke inhalation. I spent a lot of time trying to get people out of the building before it exploded into flames. We finally surrendered to the inevitability that our Chapel and Common building were going to burn to the ground before the fire company could get to us.

After 30 to 40 minutes the firemen and women began to arrive, followed soon after by the fire trucks and water trucks. Four fire companies responded and did heroic and valiant work at saving the other buildings from being consumed. We are most grateful for our volunteer fire departments!

We lost some most valuable things in the fire. Our community archives were lost and all of the books in our library. The Troubadour stockroom and inventory were lost to the flames. All of the various awards received were melted in the intense heat of the fire. We have some back-ups from computers, but nothing current. It is our hope that most of this is covered by our insurance.

God gave members various words or locutions. I shared that God is stripping us back to what is really essential to our way of life and that we will rebuild with greater efficiency, but in stone. Someone got the image of Gideon, who was repeatedly told by the Lord that he needed fewer men, but men well-prepared for battle. Another said that she got a word that God is with us through this trial. These served to inspire us and to keep our spirits hopeful and filled with faith, hope, and love. I believe we may have lost some buildings, but He will make us stronger for going through this together.

For the immediate future we will pray at our Portiuncula Chapel, which was untouched by the fire (as was most of our Prayer Garden). We will use some vacant hermitages for common meals and community meetings. Another will serve as a temporary office. Many have offered their homes and guest houses to us, but we will get by and keep the praying heart of the Hermitage alive in the months ahead.

Eventually we will have to rebuild. We will rebuild with stone and earth in a way that is environmentally "green." At that point we may ask for donations from our benevolent benefactress. We are humbled and grateful beyond mere words for the outpouring of offers to help with food, housing and other things.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-04-26T12:24:00.004-06:00

SPRING 2008 AT LITTLE PORTION

2008-04-23T20:26:00.003-06:00

EXPERIENCE THE PEACE OF GOD
Gospel Reading: John 14:27-31

"Peace" is my farewell to you, my peace is my gift to you; I do not give it to you as the world gives peace. v.27

On a corporate level the world gives peace through military control, political negotiation, and economic success; on a private level, through external security and happiness. None of these things, even those that are good, brings the peace that comes from Jesus.

PEACE IS A WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Jesus brings a peace that "passes all understanding," a peace that is at work even in the midst of conflict and war. It is something internal, from the Spirit that can never be taken from us if we are living in the Spirit. His peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our soul. As Paul wrote, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace" (Gal 5:22).

The work of the Spirit occurs in the mind and heart. Before you can even say the word, "God," you must think it. As you direct your mind to certain thoughts, your heart will follow. "Be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Rom 12:2). Paul told us that if our thoughts are wholly directed, then the God of peace will be with us (Phil 4:8-9). As we purposefully and consistently choose to forgive, love and thank with our mind, we begin to experience peace of heart.

PERSEVERE IN MAKING RIGHT CHOICES

External peace, however, cannot be fully realized in this world. Paul wrote, "If possible, live peaceably with everyone" (Rom 12:18). The "if possible," of that sentence is a big "if," because we can expect conflict in the world and in the church. But each individual, despite whatever suffering or conflict comes, must persevere in making the choices necessary to have the internal heartfelt peace of God.

Do you know this peace in your life? If not, consider how well you control your thoughts. Notice where your mind goes when it wanders. Does it go to God? Train your mind to meditate on God. Then it will wander back to him when it gets lost. Then you will know peace in your heart.

John Michael Talbot

2008-04-21T17:07:00.002-06:00

RIGHT CHOICES ACTIVATE PEACE
Gospel Reading: John 14:1-6

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God. v. 1

Jesus does not present peace as something that mystically permeates our souls as an unconditional gift from God; he presents it as a choice. Yes, it is a gift, but it must be responded to in order to be fully active in our lives.

DECIDE TO BELIEVE GOD

Notice that our scripture today links peace with faith. Faith is a decision and a choice to believe in God. Sometimes making this decision seems logical based on the objective facts; other times, faith seems to go against all logic. At times, it goes against the almost overwhelming tide of public opinion or personal emotions. Yet the more we choose to have faith, the more peace we experience. Making faith decisions and experiencing peace is no guarantee that we won't have conflict.

Jesus emotionally broke in the Garden of Gethsemane, he wept at the death of his friend Lazarus, he grew angry when the disciples and the crowds did not understand his message. The peace of today’s Gospel doesn’t deny any of these very real and human emotions, it simply helps us deal with them correctly.

DO NOT LIMIT GOD

Sometimes we lose our peace when God does not do what we expect. Instead of limiting God to only one agenda or place, we need to remember Paul's injunction that God will do more than "we can possibly expect or imagine" if we will let go.

KEEP JESUS AT THE CENTER

Lastly, this Gospel Reading says Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus declared, "No one comes to the Father except through me." If we try to center any aspect of our life on anyone or anything but Jesus, we lose our peace. Sometimes our "false centers" are blatantly against God, sometimes they are more subtle. They can even be good things, things that appear godly or Christian. Yet when we center on the thing and not on Jesus, we lose our peace.

Is your heart troubled today? Remember these three things: Choose to have faith! Do not limit God. Center on Jesus and Jesus alone. Do these and you will activate the peace of God in your life and experience it in increasing measure.

John Michael Talbot

Image: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane by Pedro Berruguete, public domain

2008-04-19T15:40:00.001-06:00

WHERE DO YOU BELONG?
Gospel Reading: John 13:16-20

No slave is greater than his master; no messenger outranks the one who sent him. v.16

Many people construe Jesus as a kind of New Age guru, conforming him to their image of what a a saviour should be. They often do this because they don’t understand the greatness of the real Jesus.

ESSENTIAL CHARACTER MUST REMAIN

In the Church

Some people also have these same ideas about the church. They try to change the church into something other than what it is. Granted, the church is in a constant state of development as to her nonessential elements that may be adapted to specific times and cultures. Sometimes, however, it becomes painfully evident that some of her members don’t like her essential character, which never changes. At this point it must be asked: If someone doesn't like the church, why be a member? This question may be painful to answer, but honesty is necessary.

In Communities

Individuals may also have confused ideas about communities raised up by the Spirit inside the church today. Each community is unique, each has a different charism, yet they are all united by their common desire to live the gospel of Jesus. Thank God, no one community has a monopoly on the work of the Spirit in the church! An individual must look honestly at the charismatic ideal and the experience of that ideal in practical daily life within the community to which they feel led. Does the community set a fire within their soul? Is the lifestyle of the community livable? These questions must be answered before entering a community and persevering with integrity.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

If you want to follow Jesus, ask yourself these questions: Do I seek to follow the real Jesus? Do I desire to be a member of a specific church? Am I sure I am called by God to a particular community? Whoever wants to be "above" these does not understand that we will never be above Jesus, the church he founded, or the communities raised up by his Spirit.

John Michael Talbot

2008-04-16T16:03:00.004-06:00

WHY DO SO FEW BELIEVE?
Gospel Reading: John 10:22-30

You refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. v. 26

What makes us want to believe in Jesus? Is it the creature seeking the Creator? Is it logic or something beyond logic? It has been said that there is an empty place within the human soul that can only be filled with God. St. Augustine said our heart is restless until it rests in God.

WHO IS OUR FATHER?

Some theologians teach that understanding leads to belief; others teach that belief leads to understanding. Both are true. Logic leads to faith in God and Christ, and faith in God and Christ makes all things logical. All creation logically leads to the Triune and Incarnate God, and the Triune and Incarnate God gives logic and completeness to all creation. Why is it, then, that only a small percentage of people believe? Why did the religious of Jesus' day not believe his words?

Jesus explained the problem by saying that another spiritual reality is going on that has confused things. The devil entered the world, tempted us to sin, and when we did, we gave him even more place in our soul. He comes to us as light or as God and deceives us. By repeatedly giving in to him, he gains control of our soul and becomes our father.

RESPOND TO GOD'S GIFT

God has made a way out of this confusion: Jesus forgives our sin and gives the Holy Spirit to all who seek divine truth, enabling us to bear witness to the truth of Christ and believe. Once this initial gift is given, it is our responsibility to respond properly. We can cause the gift to grow like a seed that grows into a fruitful vine, or we can reject it altogether and end up with the devil again.

If we only accept Christ on our own terms, it is because we are still of the father of lies, the devil. Accept Jesus on his own terms! Let the Spirit operate fully in your life. Then you will find the empty place inside your soul filled with God. Then all creation will make sense to you.

John Michael Talbot

Imaage by S. Botticelli in public domain

2008-04-11T20:21:00.005-06:00

DESIRE GRACE & IT IS YOURS!
Gospel Reading: John 6:41-51

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. v. 44

There are people today who complain that they want the Spirit to work in their lives, but they are sure they are not worthy of such a gift. That way of thinking is proved wrong by today's Gospel Reading. We see this idea also expressed when Simon Peter confessed his faith in Christ. At that time Jesus assured him: "Blest are you, Simon son of John! No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father" (Mt 16:17.)

If you desire for God to work in your life, he already is! If you desire to follow Jesus, you have already begun! If you desire the gift of the Holy Spirit, you are already receiving the gift! If you even desire grace, you are already being given grace. Yes, you might have more to do to grow in that grace, but the work of grace has already begun in your life.

WHAT ABOUT THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN?

Some people think their sins are unforgivable. In Hebrews 6:4, 6, we read, "For when men have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and become sharers in the Holy Spin and then have fallen away, it is impossible to make them repent again." This means that those who have committed the unforgivable sin are so hardened that they do not even want to repent. They could not be made to repent. If you desire to repent, that is proof that you haven’t committed the unforgivable sin. The only sin you are guilty of is pride: thinking that you are so extraordinary that your sin is not ordinary. Guess what? You are just like everyone else! Your sin is really quite ordinary. It is also quite forgivable.

ACCEPT GOD'S FORGIVENESS TODAY

Do you doubt that God is working in your life today? If you have even the faintest desire to serve him, then God is already at work. If you have even a remote desire to repent of any sin, that sin is forgivable. Do not let yourself get depressed or dejected. Do not let the devil lie to you. Do not give in to subtle pride. Accept God’s forgiveness and cooperate with his grace.

John Michael Talbot

2008-04-08T09:20:00.004-06:00

JESUS IS TO US AN OPEN DOOR
Gospel Reading:
John 6:35-40

No one who comes to me will I ever reject. v.37

The world is a place of hurt, filled with rejection from parents, friends, co-workers and others. Their sin is not the issue, our response to their rejection is the issue.

Rejection causes pain that leads to anger and death. Today's reading gives us a way back from death to life, from anger to love, and from rejection to acceptance. Jesus never rejects anyone who sincerely seeks him.

GOD NEVER MOVES AWAY FROM US

You may have heard, "If God seems far away, who moved?" God never moves away from us, He is always close by. If he seems far away, it is usually because we have moved away from him through sin.

James wrote: "Draw close to God and he will draw close to you." Sin, even habitual small sins left unchecked, take the edge off spiritual life and eventually break full communion with God. He offers us a way back through repentance and forgiveness if we are sincere.

Sirach warned about presuming on forgiveness through insincere repentance, giving ourselves license to sin for a season because we know that forgiveness will be given later. Keep in mind that forgiveness is not given unless repentance is real. Sin must be renounced with the intention of never sinning again. If we do sin, forgiveness is again given if repentance is sincere.

The same is true when we sin in our relationships with people: Abbot Aelred of Rievaulx is said to have never asked any professed monk to leave his monastery. He always gave an offender a choice to repent and worked with him toward repentance. If the offender left, it was because he chose to.

DRAW CLOSE IN SINCERE REPENTANCE

Do we draw close to him with sincere repentance and let him heal us of our sin and our feelings of rejection or do we toy with God’s forgiveness? In our communities, do we reject each other or do we offer God’s forgiveness?

Jesus stands before us today as an open door. All we need do is turn around and walk through if we want to be accepted by God, the church, and the community again.

John Michael Talbot

Photo by sandravahtel

2008-04-05T12:09:00.001-06:00

LET LOVE BE YOUR HIGHEST LAW
Gospel Reading: John 6:1-15

A vast crowd kept following him ... Jesus then went up the mountain. v.2-3

How do we respond to an intrusion? In a society frequently suffering from burn-out, it is easy to overcompensate for the feelings of burn-out. Perhaps church or community workers begin emphasizing their solitude or prayer time so much that they quit serving others. If they stop serving others, they also stop serving God and they have become self-serving.

BALANCE CONTEMPLATION & ACTION

We all need contemplative prayer to balance our action, but it should not degenerate into selfishness. Today’s reading challenges us to balance the two in love. Jesus pulled away to the mountain with his disciples to avoid the crowd. This was, no doubt, a time of retreat -- an attempt to get some quality time both with God and his serious followers.

The crowd intruded upon his privacy. They found him and came to him in droves. How did he respond to them? Did he say, "I'm in a meeting"? No, he saw their genuine need and responded and ministered to the multitude.
GIVE & YOU WILL RECEIVE

The result of his selfless service was that the disciples gathered more food than they gave out! Not only did a miracle occur by his increasing the loaves and fishes to feed the vast multitude, another miracle occurred in that the disciples actually received back more than they gave. Because they were willing to give away the little they had, they received back more in return.

SERVE WHEN IT IS INCONVENIENT

What about us? Are we willing to take the risk of service, even when it is inconvenient? Are we willing to disrupt our prayer time when real charity makes demands on us?

I am not suggesting doing away with the discipline of contemplative prayer, I am saying that love should be our highest discipline and law. This was the practice of the great Christian hermits of history. The philosophy of "looking out for Number One" does not integrate with real Christianity.

John Michael Talbot

2008-04-01T17:44:00.002-06:00

EXPERIENCE THE REAL KINGDOM OF GOD
Gospel Reading: John 3:1-8

Flesh begets flesh, Spirit begets spirit. v.6

Today's reading has Nicodemus at a conversion point, approaching Jesus and acknowledging him as a teacher from God because of the signs and wonders he performed. Jesus' response was both negative and positive. He gave Nicodemus what has become a well-known scripture to us: You must be born again. With this, Jesus emphasized the necessity of a rebirth of the spirit. He also spoke of the importance of the rite of water baptism, used by itinerant preachers of his day, as a sign of renewal.

SIGNS & WONDERS ARE NOT ENOUGH

The negative side of Jesus' response was that he said the signs and wonders Nicodemus cited were not enough. He immediately called Nicodemus deeper, to the invisible things of the Spirit, to things beyond externals, to things that are like the wind.

On the positive side, Jesus encouraged Nicodemus, he did not rebuke him. Nicodemus was on the outside looking in, but at least he was looking! God’s grace touched the life of this Pharisee with a spark of renewal and Jesus fanned the spark into full flame. When all the apostles except John deserted Jesus, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea stood by him at his trial, crucifixion, and burial. Tradition has it they both became disciples in the early church.

LET JESUS TAKE YOU TO THE SOURCE

We need to ask ourselves, do we limit God’s grace to signs and wonders? (Signs and wonders might be any external aspect of Christian or community life we find exciting.)

We must realize that we can do all the externals well and never know the Spirit and the charism. If we have the Spirit, however, we will do all the externals better. Let Jesus call you past the signs of the Spirit to himself as he did with Nicodemus. Let him take you past the stream to the well. Let him take you to the source. Otherwise, you will not be experiencing the real kingdom of God.

John Michael Talbot

2008-03-27T08:53:00.002-06:00

SPREAD THE WORD
Gospel Reading: Mark 16:9-15

When they heard that he was alive ... they refused to believe it. v.11

Mark is extremely candid about Jesus' rebuking the apostles for their lack of belief, petty differences, and pointless arguments. At times, Jesus appeared an exasperated leader of a bunch of childish, immature clowns. Today's reading shows that the situation did not change even after the resurrection. The apostles refused to believe Mary's account of the resurrection and the two disciples who encountered him on the road to Emmaus!

UNBELIEF DISPLEASES THE LORD

Jesus was quite frank about his displeasure with their continual worldly attitudes. Notice that he was not just upset about their lack of faith in him, he was upset about their lack of faith in those sent by him after the resurrection. This was not just a matter of personal faith in Jesus, it was a matter of faith in the Jesus who works corporately through the church and Christian community.

GREAT COMMISSION IS FOR ALL BELIEVERS

Once he has corrected their mistakes, Jesus quickly announced the good news. Despite their human sinfulness, he gave them the great commission: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation" (Mk 16:15.) This is not only for the apostles, it is for all believers! It is probable we too have experienced doubtful responses when we have shared the good news of Jesus Christ with others. Sometimes we also doubt when someone shares a story about a supernatural occurrence attributed to Jesus. We want others to believe us, but we are sometimes slow to believe another's account of Jesus, thinking we must see for ourselves.

OVERCOME UNBELIEF & SPREAD THE FAITH

Although Jesus rebukes for unbelief, we should not despair because it is implied that once we overcome our initial failure, we will be ready to evangelize others. We cannot expect from others what we do not do ourselves. First learn, then teach. First believe, then spread the faith!

John Michael Talbot

2008-03-24T21:44:00.002-06:00

NO SHORTCUTS
Gospel Reading: Luke 24:13-35

Two of them that same day were making their way to a village named Emmaus. v. 13

In this Gospel reading Christ gave the Lord's Supper in a special way. On Holy Thursday he spoke the words, "This is my body . . . this is my blood," while he was in their midst physically. Here he blessed the bread, was recognized, and then disappeared! On Holy Thursday Jesus was present both sacramentally and humanly. In today's account, he was present sacramentally in the bread, even though he humanly disappeared.

FIRST THE WORD, THEN THE SACRAMENT

Today's reading is a symbolic type of what is still being lived out in the Eucharist. First, there was the Word, then there was the sacrament. Jesus shared the Scriptures for a full day's walk before he blessed the bread. He opened their minds, he waited until their hearts were burning! He waited until they invited him into their house before he blessed the bread for them.

Jesus didn't just use one specific Scripture. He went through the entire Old Testament and pointed out every Scripture that referred to himself! This was a long Bible study! It took a whole day for the "Liturgy of the Word" before they were ready for the "Liturgy of the Eucharist."

RECEIVE JESUS' FULL REVELATION

Do we give Jesus that kind of time with our use of Scripture? Are we willing to walk with him a full day before we receive the sacraments? Are we willing to listen to him teach us the lessons of Scripture? Jesus wasn't seen until the blessing of the bread. Even though he taught Scripture in a way that made the two disciples' hearts burn within, they didn't recognize him until he blessed the bread.

Do we limit the revelation of Jesus to the teaching of Scripture only? Are we willing to go beyond the partial revelation of the Word to his
complete revelation in the sacrament? Both Word and sacrament are needed. Let us all walk the full Emmaus walk with Jesus. Any shortcuts only keep us from the full revelation of Jesus in our own lives.

John Michael Talbot

2008-03-21T09:11:00.001-06:00

HOLY WEEK & EASTER MESSAGE 2008

Peace and Good in Christ! It is time for my Holy Week and Easter message to our community and two basic thoughts come to mind.

HOW TO BE "SET APART" IN HOLY WEEK

The "holy" in "Holy Week" has special significance, as "Holy" means "set apart." Holy Week is time for us to set aside special times and places to do more intensely the positive things we do daily as disciples of Jesus. To be a "disciple" means to embrace the "discipline" of a teacher or master. For a Christian, Jesus is our Teacher of teachers and Master of masters. For most of us this means more intentional time and space for prayer and meditation on Jesus and the Church. In addition to personal spirituality in the privacy of our own home, it might also mean going more often to church for Mass or Communion or the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the "communion" of "community" with those of one mind and heart regarding faith and morality. Simple acts of kindness that do not have to be noticed or rewarded by anyone but God are also advocated.

On a personal note, I was deeply touched during Lent when one of our consecrated sisters brought meals to my hermitage during a time of illness. I was also blessed by a discipline embraced by several monastics of not saying anything negative about anyone. Both of these penances touched me deeply.

BE AUTHENTIC WITNESSES FOR CHRIST

I have also been struck in recent weeks by the much talked about report that eight out of ten Americans call themselves "Christians." That is much higher than I would have thought and is very revealing concerning everything from interfaith issues such as meditation and mysticism to moral issues such as pro-life and simple living. But the report goes on to say that most have not stayed with the religion of their upbringing and now tend to "shop around" among various churches whenever their current one gets familiar or "old."This is a bit disconcerting. It is a challenge to the church, and a challenge to our culture. How is it that so many call themselves not just religious or "churched" but "Christians," yet are unhappy with the stability offered in the institutions of traditional family and church? On one level this report gives great hope that we will find enough common ground with those of western culture to bring the deeper messages of faith, morality, and mysticism. On another level, it means that we Americans tend to only "buy" that which is easy, simple, and quickly replaceable. Is it any wonder that deep levels of spirituality are seldom reached by those of our own culture?

This is a challenge to those of us who stay with one church or spouse for life. It challenges us to live our stability in a more life-giving way, a way that must authentically change us within before it can change anyone or anything without. This is called being a "witness" for Christ. But such "witnessing" can be most off-putting if done only for display. It must be genuine and humble if it is to have a positive effect.

IN SUMMARY: EMBRACE DEEP CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY

So I encourage you to set aside extra time for prayer, church sacraments, and care for others. Let's embrace a Christian spirituality that takes us so deep that we no longer feel the need for the easy and quickly-replaced spirituality that has become so prominent in America today. Then we can get to the root of the problems of our culture, a culture that sees everything from marriage to monasteries as needing to be easily and quickly replaced. Then we can find the stability of Jesus, who never leaves us easily or quickly when we fall into the various troubles of life. Then we can have a stability within that no one can take away, a stability that brings a deep and abiding peace to our troubled and insecure world.

Of course, I cannot do any of this without God's grace, and most specifically through the dying and rising of Jesus. This is the whole point of Holy Week and Easter. When I let go of my egocentric self in the dying of Christ, then my real self finds its place gracefully in His resurrection. Without this I can do nothing.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-03-20T16:00:00.002-06:00

THE NEW PASSOVER
Gospel Reading: John 13:1-15

Jesus rose from the meal and took off his cloak. vv. 3-4

In the midst of observing, with his disciples, the traditional Passover meal of the Jews to celebrate their supernatural deliverance from slavery in Egypt, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. The meal consisted of four cups of wine and three matzos (or unleavened bread); the paschal lamb; haroses (bitter herbs); green herbs dipped in salt water; and moror (a paste of fruit and bitter seasoning).

THE UNCHANGED PART OF THE PASSOVER

The first cup of wine was used in the Kiddish, or opening blessing, and was not the same cup used later as the cup of his blood.

The story of their deliverance was read from Exodus 12 and the meaning of the foods before them was given: Wine - God's providential care from the earth; unleavened bread - their departure in haste; bitter herbs - slavery; moror - the bricks and mortar they made as slaves. Most important was the paschal lamb, a symbol of the lamb eaten in sacrifice and the blood put on doorposts of their houses so the angel of death would "pass over" their houses as God showed his ninth plague to Pharaoh. Jesus kept all this unchanged.

Next was the singing of psalms or songs of thanksgiving. The meal was then solemnly blessed. At this point a second cup of wine was drunk and a matzo broken and eaten along with the above mentioned dishes, except for the lamb. (This was still not the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist.) After the solemn blessing, the paschal meal was eaten in celebration and memorial of the freedom of the Jews from Egypt.

THE INSTITUTION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER

After the supper came a third cup of wine and a second matzo. This was when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. Here, after fulfilling the essence of the Passover meal in obedience to Old Testament Scripture, Jesus used the remainder of the service to symbolize something new: The sacrifice of himself as the eternal Paschal Lamb to bring all people from slavery to sin into spiritual freedom; he gave his own body and blood in death to bring life to all. This was the Christian Eucharist. (At the very end, the fourth cup of blessing was consumed.)

In this event we see our link with: (1) the Jews through Jesus, (2) the Catholic church, and (3) each other in Christ. We thank God for all three realities.

John Michael Talbot

Image: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, in the public domain

2008-03-15T21:35:00.004-06:00

WHO'S IN CONTROL?
Gospel Reading: John 11:45-57

Can you not see that it is better for you to have one man die than to have the whole nation destroyed? v. 50

How well do we cooperate with the sovereign action of God? Do we see Him acting through both the good and the evil of the world? Do we really believe He is in control? These are the questions raised in today's Gospel reading.

THE MYSTERY OF GOOD, EVIL & SOVEREIGNTY

Caiaphas thought he was defeating Jesus, when actually he was helping fulfill his plans. Ironically, he also thought he was doing God's will by opposing a "heretic" when he was really cooperating with God's sovereign will by playing out the role of God's enemy so that God could eventually show himself victorious.

Furthermore, he was prophesying a truth of God's redemption of Israel while not understanding what he was saying. This is all part of the mystery of good, evil, and the sovereignty of God.

GOD USES EVIL TO DEFEAT ITSELF

I believe this mystery is best explained by the language of God's perfect will and God's permission. God's perfect will is always the highest good. Some speak further of God's imperfect will, which allows a good that is not his highest good. This is a matter of good and better. Then there is the matter of good and evil. There is the matter of God actually permitting temporary evil so that a higher and more long-lasting good can be accomplished. He never wills evil, but he does allow it. Furthermore, he uses evil to defeat itself and accomplish good. God is in control!

REMAIN FAITHFUL IN MIDST OF EVIL

What about us? Are we able to remain faithful and hopeful even in the midst of evil? If we believe that God is working out his sovereign will even in the midst of evil, we will remain faithful and hopeful. If we do not really believe this, then we easily lose hope and faith. Do we really believe this mystery? Jesus did! He was able to face death on the cross because he believed there would be a resurrection.

John Michael Talbot

Image: Matthias Stom, Christ Before Caiaphas

2008-03-12T18:32:00.004-06:00

WHEN TO SPEAK - WHEN TO BE SILENT
Gospel Reading: John 8:21-30

I could say much to you in condemnation, but no, I only tell the world what I have heard from him, the Truthful One who sent me. v. 26

When should we speak and when should we be silent? When have we spoken too much or not enough? How do we learn the difference? Today's Gospel reading answers these questions for us.

JESUS DOES NOT SPEAK WHAT WE CANNOT BEAR

Jesus said there was much about condemnation he could speak to the world, and yet he did not speak everything he knew, but only the words he heard from his Father in heaven. He also said that there was more he could have said while on the earth but the disciples were not able to bear it at that time. The same is true for us. He could tell us great spiritual mysteries unknown to us, but because he knows what we are able to bear, he does not tell us all that he could. Instead, he gauges how much to speak by knowing his audience.

LEARN THE LESSONS OF SILENCE & SOLITUDE

The most essential part of wisdom is knowing when to speak and when to be silent. Beyond the beginning step of the fear of the Lord, this is the most concrete thing I can find in Scripture about wisdom. Always be willing to be silent, then you can safely speak but do not use silence as an escape from the responsibility of speaking the truth when it is needed.

We learn the truth we must sometimes speak through Scripture and through the teaching of the church. But neither will do any good if we do not seek the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. How do we seek the Spirit? Through focused times of long and intense prayer.

Learn the lessons of silence and of solitude. If you take time for silence, you will learn what to speak. You will learn when and where to speak it if you take time for solitude.

John Michael Talbot

2008-03-09T15:29:00.003-06:00

A SECOND CHANCE FROM GOD
Gospel Reading: John 8:1-11

Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her. v. 7

Today's scripture teaches us justice and mercy and also shows us the way to the higher justice of mercy. In today's story a woman is caught in the act of adultery. She is not falsely charged; she is guilty. She has actually been caught in the act, probably by her own husband.

The Old Testament law clearly states that she must be stoned to death. It can be argued that the point of the law was to moderate the unjust vengeance of the ancient era, where entire tribes warred over such incidents. Likewise, it could be argued that under Roman occupation, the Jews could not carry out capital punishment. But these are peripheral arguments. Both Jesus and his opponents knew the issue: Would Jesus agree with the clear teaching of the Old Testament law?

A HEIGHTENED SENSE OF JUSTICE

Jesus did not disagree with the law. Instead, he questioned those who would execute it. He didn't question the concept of justice; he heightened our sensitivity to justice, which in the long run brought mercy.

The essence of Jesus' response was this: "Let you without sin cast the first stone." But who is without sin? Jesus had taught that anyone who even looked lustfully at another is guilty of adultery. Who has not committed such a sin? Who has not gone on and committed some greater sin in the flesh? Yet God has forgiven us our sin, some known only to us and God. Who then can condemn another according to justice? Jesus taught to treat others the way you would have them treat you. This is the point of today's story.

GO YOUR WAY & SIN NO MORE

We are not to whitewash sin. Although Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, he did warn her: "Go your way and sin no more." Forgiveness is not an excuse to sin, it is a second chance from God, who gives us the power to overcome sin. He grants forgiveness. He imparts his truth to guide us. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us. If we want, we can overcome sin. The choice is ours.

John Michael Talbot

Image: Rembrandt

2008-03-04T21:53:00.001-06:00

HEALING HULLABALOO
Gospel Reading: John 5:1-3, 5-16

"Do you want to be healed?"... "It is the Sabbath and you are not allowed to carry that mat around. "The man who had been restored to health had no idea who it was [who cured him.] vv. 6,10,13

There are three major points that strike me from this Gospel reading: Do we really want to be healed? Do we overly structure healing? Do we want to be noticed by healing others?

IS HEALING WANTED?

Sometimes we are self-indulgent because sickness gets us things: attention, time off, needed rest. We must believe that what we ask for in prayer will happen, with no inner doubts, or it will not. If we don't really want to be healed in the first place, we will be filled with inner doubts, and we will not be healed.

DOES STRUCTURE IMPEDE HEALING?

The Sabbath laws quoted by the Jews in today's Scripture were not God's, they were man's. Oh yes, the Old Testament law concerning work on the Sabbath had inspired their law, but now they were impeding a greater divine law with human precepts.

Sometimes we do the same. The sacrament of the anointing of the sick was given by God, but sometimes we limit God to the sacrament he gave and thus discount healings through other non-sacramental means. The integrity of the sacraments should be retained, but to limit God to the law he gave is to attempt to control and monopolize God.

WHO IS HONORED?

Lastly, who gets the honor for healing? The sick man here didn't even know who healed him. There are no cameras rolling! Jesus slipped through the crowd without being recognized. Do we seek recognition for ministry? If so, then we are not acting as Christ acted.

To conclude, we ask the same three questions: Do we really want healing? Do we limit God's healing by human laws? Do we really give God glory for healing? How we answer these questions may give us insight about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the healing ministry in our community, church, or ministry team.

John Michael Talbot

2008-03-01T15:10:00.004-06:00

HONESTLY ADMIT YOUR SINS
Gospel Reading: Luke 18:9-14

O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. v. 13

We can learn a lot from the two men in today's reading who went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee did everything right from a theological perspective, but he was not acceptable to God. The tax collector seemed to do everything wrong, but he went home justified before God. Let us consider why that was so.

PHARISEE HAD CORRECT DOCTRINE

Pharisees were an accepted renewal group within the Jewish faith that believed the right things, even by later Christian standards, such as the eternal life of the human spirit and justification by faith. They believed God looked at the intentions of the heart rather than mere fulfillment of external ritual of the law, although they were strict about external fulfillment.

Pharisees even had right beliefs about the Messiah. They knew where and when he would be born. They knew he would teach as no man had taught before. They knew he would be rejected by the religious leaders. They knew he would die by Roman crucifixion. They knew he would rise on the third day and give his Spirit to all nations, not just the Jews. They knew all this, yet still did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

THE TAX COLLECTOR SOUGHT MERCY

The Pharisee was proud not to be a tax collector, who was usually a Jew who betrayed his people by working for Rome and who indulged in immoral living funded by riches gained by cheating his own people. Yet the tax collector in today's reading went home from the temple justified because he knew he was a sinner who needed mercy. He made no pretense of holiness. He simply confessed his sin and honestly begged God's forgiveness whereas the Pharisee made an art of hiding behind theology.

BE HONEST BEFORE GOD

Do we have the honesty of the tax collector in confessing our sins? Or do we use theology to cover our sin? Be honest before God. Admit your sins and thank Him for your successes. Don't hide either. Then you will be justified by God.

John Michael Talbot

2008-02-27T22:58:00.003-06:00

GO THE EXTRA MILE!
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:17-19

I have come, not to abolish them, but to fulfill them. v. 17

Many depict Jesus as a radical revolutionary out to overthrow institutional religion and any objective concept of right or wrong concerning faith or morality but today's gospel reading affirms his support of the law of God. He never denied the law itself. He simply challenged the way the teachers of the law lived and taught it. It was only after the church spread to the Gentiles that the Jewish law was no longer mandatory for followers of Jesus.

THE HEART OF THE LAW IS MERCY

It is important to remember that the heart of the law is mercy. The eye for eye and tooth for tooth might seem harsh to us. When it was given, however, it was a way to moderate the vengeful pattern of Middle Eastern tribal life. Its intent was justice, but a justice moderated with mercy.

When Jesus taught, he did not destroy the law: He surpassed it. He fulfilled it by going beyond it. It is as if the "eye for eye" of the law was God's way of keeping the door from slamming shut on humanity by moderating the prevailing violence of humankind. With Jesus the door was not simply propped open, it swung totally open. An "eye for eye" might well have propped open the door, but "turn the other cheek" swung the door open wide for good. The same could be said for all the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

GO BEYOND THE ACCEPTABLE

Do we simply fulfill the minimum or do we surpass it? Today's scripture teaches us to go beyond the acceptable and go to the exceptional! Go the extra mile. Then you will fulfill not only the law, but the higher way of Jesus Christ himself.

John Michael Talbot

2008-02-23T17:00:00.003-06:00

THE CHALLENGES OF PENANCE
Gospel Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

We had to celebrate and rejoice! This brother of yours was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, and is found. v.32

Penance is an opportunity for joy, not a sober affair for downcast spirits. It is not a task accomplished by imposed rules against one's will but the turning point from sin to righteousness as an act of free will.

The process of penance requires effort and perhaps the guidance of a confessor, director, or superior, who could impose some helpful disciplinary measure.

SIN BRINGS DEATH; RIGHTEOUSNESS BRINGS LIFE

Sin brings death: Righteousness brings life. Sin promises happiness and fulfillment, but is a lie. Only the righteousness given as a gift in Jesus really brings freedom and abundant life. This takes discipline, patience, perseverance, and faith in times of darkness and struggle, but the effort has a big pay-off with long-lasting rewards.

THE FATHER AND THE FAITHFUL SON

The other two characters in today's parable are the father and the faithful son. The son, who never left is like many of us. We never leave the faith or the church. We never engage in dissolute living. The message to us is one of challenge and comfort: "You are with me always, and everything I have is yours." This is reassuring, but contains a challenge that confronts our jealousy when another person seemingly not as deserving as us gets a lot of recognition in the church for their "conversion."

The father did not stay safely at home and wait for his wayward son to come home. When he saw him coming toward home, even at a distance, he ran out to meet him and walked with him the rest of the way. It was more work, but the joy was greater.

CHALLENGES IN THIS SCRIPTURE

Do we meet others where they are when they show the first sign of turning back to God, or do our churches expect them to travel most of the way themselves? Are we jealous when others receive attention for their conversion to Christ when our life of consistent faith is apparently taken for granted? Lastly, do we turn back to God when we see that life outside really does lead to death? These are the challenges of today's Gospel reading.

John Michael Talbot

The Return of the Prodigal Son by Pompeo Batoni, in the public domain

2008-02-21T20:22:00.002-06:00

PARABLES PACK A PUNCH!

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realized he was speaking about them, and they sought to arrest him. vv.45-46

Parables are a funny way to communicate. Because they are in story form, they seem artistic and beautiful. Precisely because they are parables, they usually have a moral or religious meaning that can pack a punch. This punch can be uncomfortable if you are the one getting hit!

RELIGIOUS LEADERS ARE INDICTED

Today's parable seems to be about a property owner, some greedy tenant farmers, the messengers, and the son of the property owner, but it is really about God the Father, the religious leaders of Israel, and the Son of God. Needless to say, it indicted the religious leaders for not accepting Jesus and made them quite angry.

King David was also told a story of injustice by the prophet Nathan. At the end of the story, Nathan asks the king what should be done with the guilty party. The king recommended a just, but harsh sentence: death! Then Nathan revealed to King David that the story is about him. David immediately repents before God and Nathan and is given a less harsh penalty. He is allowed to live (2 Sm12:1-13.)

TWO WAYS WE CAN RESPOND

There are two ways we can respond when convicted by a religious parable: We can resist and become angry like the religious leaders of Jesus' day, or we can humble ourselves and repent like King David, who was a man after God's own heart even after his sin. The choice is ours.

Parables speak to us on many levels. That is their beauty. They are so simple, yet almost inexcusable in their application. The same is true of today's parable. It is true of the ministry of Jesus, but it is also true of the Christian ministry in general.

WHO ARE WE IN THIS PARABLE?

Are we the tenant farmers or the messengers or the son of the property owner? God wants his people to be converted from greed to the way of justice. Let this parable speak to you about your own life. Then be converted!

John Michael Talbot

2008-02-15T19:45:00.001-06:00

HATE SIN, LOVE THE SINNER
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:43-48

Love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. v 44

In facing the issues of today's world, it is easy to develop an "us and them" attitude and to see people on the other side of our position as "big, bad, and ugly." Sometimes we begin to actually hate the people who radically oppose our Christian views. In today's scripture, Jesus warns us against this attitude!

LOVE EVEN THE OPPRESSOR

Many people involved in peace and social justice issues find it hard to love their enemy because they have seen devilish destruction wrought by oppressors of the poor and defenseless. The atrocity of an aborted fetus discarded in a trash barrel behind an American abortion clinic is an example. The sight of brutally beaten Palestinian children or tear-gassed Christian clergy in Israel are others. Likewise, the sight of starving people living in a ghetto slum built on a trash heap in many Third World countries in the face of blatant materialism in the west may cause bitterness to rise in us.

Jesus told us that we must love our enemy, even those that oppress! This does not mean we do not stand for legitimate issues of justice, and it does not mean we are not to hate sin. It does mean, however, that we must love the sinner.

REMEMBER SAINT PAUL

l am reminded of a man who once was persecuted Christians obsessively. He drug them from their homes and meeting places and took them to trial. He participated in the killing of a Christian saint and martyr named Stephen. The persecutor's name was Saul of Tarsus. If you recall, Saul went on to become a martyr and a saint himself: the great St. Paul. How could he have gotten to be St. Paul if Christians didn't obey Jesus and love him?

Have we grown angry and bitter towards the people on the other side of the issues we face? If we have, then we are no longer Christ-like. We must come back to Christ and obey his injunction to "love your enemy."

John Michael Talbot

2008-02-12T13:32:00.000-06:00

HOW TO PRAY ... OUR FATHER ...
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:7-15

In your prayer do not rattle on like pagans ... This is how you are to pray: "Our Father.." vs 7,9

It is a sad irony that often we defeat the very purpose of the Lord’s Prayer in praying it. The prayer itself is not wrong, it was given by Christ, but the way we pray it is often wrong.

PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER DELIBERATELY

I am astounded by the way the Lord’s Prayer is said in the average parish. It is prayed as if running a race! Many times I find myself out of breath by trying to keep pace. The same could be said of the way many good devotional prayers are recited. This practice clearly defies the intent of Jesus himself.

I remember a good experience with Bernard Cardinal Law, Archbishop of Boston. Other evangelists and I were gathered for a meeting on evangelization in the archdiocese. At the close of one session. we began to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Cardinal Law stopped us midway and encouraged us to slow down a little so that the prayer not be prayed vainly. It was one of the most evangelistic programs discussed all day!

IT IS SIMPLE, YET COMPLETE

The Lord’s Prayer is the most perfect prayer on earth, yet it is one of the simplest. When asked how to pray, Jesus did not teach some complicated prayer method or technique. He simply gave us this short prayer and urged us to pray with sincerity.

The prayer given covers most of the essentials of spirituality: That we are to hallow God as the transcendent one without losing the loving intimacy of our relationship with Him as Father; that his kingdom is to come on earth as in heaven; that we are dependent on God for even the bare essentials of daily existence; that forgiveness is essential in relationships, both human and divine; And finally that God is sovereign over good and evil and is able to deliver us all from evil if we really desire it. The Lord's Prayer is simple, yet complete.

CHERISH THIS PRAYER!

The early Christians prayed The Lord's Prayer prayer three times a day: morning, noon, and night. For them it was sacred. Most of us pray it less than that. The question is, do we take it as seriously? May we cherish the richness of this prayer!

John Michael Talbot

Painting by Carl Bloch: Sermon on the Mount

2008-02-08T21:20:00.000-06:00

FAST FOR FREEDOM & PEACE

Gospel Reading: Matthew 9:14-15

Then they will fast. v.15

Today's gospel reading is one of only three teachings Jesus gave on fasting. A second teaching is found in the Sermon on the Mount where he tells us to groom our hair and wash our faces to hide our fasting from onlookers instead of fasting as the hypocrites did, to be seen by men. The third fasting teaching is in Mark's Gospel where, following the transfiguration, Jesus said certain demons come out only through fasting and prayer.

WE LIVE IN A PARADOX

We see in this reading a paradox: the already and the not yet. On one level we can say that the bridegroom is always with us because Jesus promised that he is with us always, even to the end of the age. The Spirit is now with us always so that the bridegroom is never gone. But it is also true that Jesus ascended to the Father and will come back at the end of the age. And so, sometimes, despite the gift of the Holy Spirit, we feel alone. That is a good time to fast.

FAST FROM THE HEART

Jesus didn't say "if" we fast; he said "when" we fast. He gave fasting a new meaning. He spoke of a fasting from the heart rather than a mere external exercise. He never said, however, that the New Testament believer would not fast.

His teaching on fasting spoke to the original meaning of Isaiah where fasting was seen as an external sign and symbol of internal conversion and self-sacrifice. It was and is to help set the prisoner free and to restore peace. What good is fasting if our lifestyle is not really about these greater sacrifices and services? When we fast, our general lifestyle is for the purpose of setting captives free.

Does Jesus seem far away? Do you need peace? Are there captives that need to be set free? Then fasting is in order but let it not be done as a glum experience in religiosity but as a joyfully-fought battle with assurance of victory.

John Michael Talbot

2008-02-04T19:14:00.000-06:00

KIDS AT THE MONASTERY!

Peace and Good in Christ!

The last few days have seen the birth of five "kids" (baby goats) at the monastery farm. Because everyone said they were so cute, I broke the solitude of a religious reclusion day to go see them. Sure enough, they are darling. They look like little puppies with hooves. They nestle in our arms and begin an almost inaudible bleat. So as not to upset them, we set them down with their mamas and siblings after a short time.

What is it about babies that are so wonderful? Almost every kind of animal baby is guaranteed to touch our hearts. (I am sure all are not this cute, but most of the ones we see are). They all bring out the child in me. I find myself communicating with them on an intuitional level in Christ as they inspire me to become more childlike myself.

I believe they are symbolic of a world before the fall caused by sin -- human beings "missing the mark." They are also symbolic of what we can be when we let our old egocentric self die with Christ so we can be reborn (born again) and become children of God. Then we rediscover childlike life: not childish, but childlike. Great references by Jesus and Paul describing the childlike life can be found in sacred scripture. Beyond that we get actual descriptions of it in places like the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's gospel and the Sermon on the Plain in Luke's. Paul's description of childlike love in 1 Corinthians 13 and his description of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 also are worthy. These scriptures describe a life that we all desire in the deepest places of the heart but may have given up on and let fall into obscurity under our senses, emotions, and intellects. If we let these obstructions die with Christ, we can be reborn as a new creation in Christ's resurrection and become again what God originally intended for us to be when we were conceived in the womb. Our egocentric self is an illusion at best. It is a delusion that can never make any human being, or even creation itself, happy. Let it die and fall away like an old set of clothes that have worn out and are beyond use!

I also enjoy the human children of the families at our integrated monastic community. How can one refuse the smiling child who lifts their arms for a wholesome embrace? Keeping in mind the cautions of the Church in matters like this nowadays, I still take time to hug or be hugged by our monastery children. I have found them great teachers of child-likeness -- a sacred trust for every adult who cares for them.

Let's allow ourselves to be born again in Jesus into the childlike person God has wanted us to be from all eternity. Then we can take extra delight in the various "kids" of the animal world, as well as in every human child as well. Then we can really be "pro life."

Take the time to enjoy a child today. If you cannot find a human baby, find a baby from the animal kingdom. If you cannot find an actual baby to hold, look at a book or video on the little ones of creation. It will help you become more childlike yourself, which is a quality most precious!

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

John Michael Talbot

Founder and Spiritual Father

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-02-02T23:51:00.000-06:00

FAITH IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

Gospel Reading: Mark 5:21-43

Fear is useless. What is needed is trust. v. 36

There are two healings in the gospel reading of Mark 5:21-43. One story involves a person of importance who approached Jesus confidently. The synagogue official, named Jairus, "fell at his feet and made ... appeal." The other story is of a woman too timid and tired to do anything but touch the hem of his garment. This woman, the woman with the hemorrhage, thought, "If I just touch his clothing, I will get well."

AN UNINTENTIONAL HEALING

Jesus did not intentionally touch the hemorrhaging woman: she touched him. He said, "Who touched my clothing?" even though a whole crowd was hemming him in, no doubt touching him constantly. Mark wrote, "Jesus was conscious at once that healing power had gone out from him." Apparently, there was a difference between an ordinary touch of the crowd and the touch of faith.

HEALING AMIDST PERSECUTION

But Jarius' daughter was dead by the time Jesus arrived. The salvation of one seems to have caused the loss of the other. But Jesus said, "She is not dead, but asleep." The people at Jairus' household were astounded at Jesus' insistence on healing the girl even after she was reported to be dead. "At this they began to ridicule him." What we learn from this is that sometimes healing takes faith in the face of apparent contradictory reports and persecution.

BELIEVE DESPITE RIDICULE

With both the woman and the daughter, Jesus' healing contradicted nature and logic. The woman "had received treatment at the hands of doctors of every sort and had exhausted her savings in the process, yet she got no relief." Jairus' daughter was clearly reported to be dead. Jesus worked miracles that went beyond the natural science of medicine and the human understanding of the mind.

Are we willing to believe in the face of adverse natural conditions and reports? Are we willing to seek Jesus' healing even when we are ridiculed? Today's gospel reading encourages us to believe for supernatural intervention even when we are getting no natural results.

John Michael Talbot

2008-01-31T09:44:00.000-06:00

REFLECTIONS ON A SNOWY DAY

Snow outside JMT Hermitage

We awoke this morning to a newly fallen snow at the Hermitage. It is a mystical time. All sound is muffled and "hushed." All is quiet. Likewise, not much work happens in those first hours after a fresh blanket of snow. We all still ourselves and enjoy it before the work begins.

I have great childhood memories of snow: silence, a fireplace, and lots of hot chocolate immediately come to mind. I remember my mom and dad telling me that the angels had coated us in a heavenly sugar.

But snow is also pretty ordinary for many. If you live in a northern state like my old home, Indiana, or even more so, Minnesota or Wisconsin, snow is just an ordinary part of life for five or six months out of the year. There is nothing really special about it.

Snow can also be dangerous. People from "up north" know this all too well. If you are unprepared, or go out in it for too long you can get lost, get sick, suffer injury, or even die within a matter of hours.

This is all a good lesson in spiritual life in Christ. Snow calls to mind our need to be still and just enjoy the work of God in the moment. So few of us do this, and we suffer high stress and troubled emotional life because of it.

Those who see snow as pretty ordinary are often the contemplatives. They are used to this environment of silence and stillness. But they also learn how to do the necessary work of life in a cloister, monastery, or secular world without upsetting the quiet mind and heart. They can also be the worldly ones who have so dulled themselves to spirituality that they cannot see it even when they have it dumped into their lives. All has become carnal, emotional, or intellectual for them.

Those who experience the danger of snow are the new converts and novices. Awed by the beauty of the contemplative life we can venture into it without the necessary preparation of the "active" life. In monastic spirituality the "active life" is not necessarily life in the normal secular world. It is the stage of still being prepared for contemplation through daily discipline and asceticism of community (like monasteries), liturgy (the Divine Office and the Mass, etc.,) and private devotion like sacred reading, and meditation through the many accepted forms in the Church. Only by preparing oneself through these active disciplines is one ordinarily graced with the gift of contemplation in the pure intuition of the spirit beyond any senses, thoughts or emotions stirred up by names, forms, or images.

And the inevitable work of the day is a sign for the natural things of life that even the most contemplative saints have to do on this earth. Work is the natural state for human beings. That work can either blind us to the deeper truths of creation and God or act as a divine ladder to heaven as St John Climacus wrote so many years ago. And if we can be "born again" to make this journey in Christ, then work can also be an overflowing from the heights of contemplation. This is when work really takes on a divine character. It is a gracious gift of God through Jesus Christ.

So I am enjoying the freshly fallen snow. But the animals have ventured out from their natural shelters in search of food, and the monastics are clearing walkways around the monastery. It is time for work to begin.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot, Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2008-01-29T16:40:00.000-06:00

SLOW COOKIN'

Mark 4:21-25

Things are hidden only to be revealed at a later time ... Listen carefully to what you hear. vv. 22,24

Jesus taught with parables that he learned by observing nature and people while hearing God speak to him through the created world. This required silence. This required solitude. This required patience.

SLOW DOWN AND OBSERVE!

Today's world is in such a hurry! When we want to learn God's word we sit down and read it in a book, or hear it on a tape, or see it in a movie. While these things are good, alone they do not impart the richness of God's word.

I have learned many of the deeper truths of Jesus and the church by spending long hours alone in the woods or by observing the ordinary affairs of life. This is not something that just happens, it requires discipline and is intentional. I have learned things of God by observing the flowing of a creek, the growing of a tree, the falling of snow and rain, as well as by observing people planting a garden or constructing a building, as well as falling in love. The Spirit has used these ordinary things of life to speak extraordinary truths to the depths of my soul.

HEAR & SEE THE LIVING WORD OF GOD

Jesus spent much time alone in prayer and contemplation. Mark wrote: "He stayed in desert places; yet people kept coming to him from all sides," and: "he went off to a lonely place in the desert; there he was absorbed in prayer" (Mk 1:45,35). Luke observed, "He often retired to deserted places and prayed" (Lk 5:16). Likewise, from the stories Jesus told, it is obvious that he knew the ordinary working of people very well.

No doubt, God's word comes to us in Scripture, but we also need the instruction of the Spirit as we observe life happenings. (Jn 16:13; Mt 10:19, 20). This comes about when we make time for deep silent contemplation. This is difficult for our "instant breakfast" and "fast food" culture to do. But it is worthwhile. I urge go to take the time to listen and observe. Be patient. Then you will hear and see the living word of God. Then you will know the fullness of the Good News.

John Michael Talbot

2008-01-25T23:45:00.000-06:00

DO NOT BLASPHEME THE HOLY SPIRIT
Mark 3:22-30

He expels demons with the help of the prince of demons ... How can Satan expel Satan? Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. vv. 22,23,29

It is a dangerous thing to speak against the ministry of a brother or sister and risk blaspheming the Holy Spirit. As David said concerning Saul, "I would not harm the Lord's Anointed" (1 Sm 26:23). Paul said during his trial before the Sanhedrin after he had insulted the high priest, "I did not know that he was the high priest. Indeed, Scripture has it, 'You shall not curse a prince of your people”’ (Acts 23:5).

PRACTICE THE LOVE OF JESUS

It is also not enough to have a powerful ministry or to practice power evangelization. The name of Jesus is powerless without the love of Jesus, without an understanding of the real meaning, the real person, the real God behind that name. The name is pronounced many ways in many languages, but Jesus himself can be understood by peoples of all races, cultures, and languages.

A HARD HEART IS DANGEROUS

Continuing to speak against a fellow Christian's ministry may become an “unforgivable sin.” Scripture says that we can be assured of the forgiveness of all sin, if we only confess them (1 In 1:9) and repent (Lk 24:47). It is when we are so hardened that we cannot repent that our sins become unforgivable (Heb 6:4-6). Apparently, when we begin criticizing other ministries with a hard heart, we are dangerously close to this sin! Likewise, we should not let forgiveness of sin become an excuse to prolong sin. As Sirach says, “Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin. Delay not your conversion to the Lord ...“ (Sir 5:5-8).

Are we overly critical of other ministries or other expressions of Christian faiths? Are we blaspheming the Holy Spirit? Does our lifestyle match our use of Jesus’ name in ministry, prayer, and deliverance? Finally, are we so confident of our forgiveness that we simply do not change? If so, do not delay: Change today!

John Michael Talbot

2008-01-22T15:55:00.000-06:00

DEALING WITH FAMILY FEUDS

Mark 3:20, 21

His family ... came to take charge of him, saying 'He is out of his mind.' v.21

Jesus told us that our family will not always understand or support our faith in him when he said to the apostles, "Brother will hand over brother to death … children will turn against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all on account of me. But whoever holds out till the end will escape death." (Mt 10:21, 22)

TOTAL COMMITMENT REQUIRED

In Matthew 10:37 Jesus asked for a total commitment, one greater than that to our blood families when he said, "Whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me." He contrasted his family who said he was "out of his mind" and his spiritual family when he said, "Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me.” (Mk 3:35)

Does this mean we are not to love our family? Jesus also said, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mk 12:31) Surely our family qualifies as our "neighbor." Paul taught, "Wives should be submissive to their husbands as if to the Lord" and "husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church." (Eph 5:22, 25) Obviously, Jesus and the apostles desired that faith in Christ would fulfill the great commandment to love, and love would strengthen rather than weaken families.

However, some believe and some do not. Today’s Gospel reading indicates that Jesus' family, possibly including even Mary, didn't fully understand him. No doubt, even the early church was filled with misunderstanding, despite the gift of the Spirit and the leadership of the apostles! Today’s church is no different.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

How do we relate to those who do not understand us? Do we love them or hate them? Even if they are our enemies, Jesus said, "Love your enemies." (Mt 5:44.) Do we really "love" our family members who do not understand us? Can we still love them when they claim to be "Christian" and clearly aren’t following Christ? The one who can love us all the best is Jesus. If we love him more than anyone, we will come to really love everyone, especially family members.

John Michael Talbot

2008-01-18T19:53:00.000-06:00

BE ANGRY, SIN NOT!

Mark 3:1-6

He looked around at them with anger, for he was deeply grieved
that they had closed their minds against him. v.5

Jesus is angry in this scripture. He is angry at sin in the church and in the world. Paul told us in Ephesians 4:26, "If you are angry, let it be without sin." Anger can be destructive, but the repression of anger can be even more destructive. Sometimes it is the will of God that anger be acted upon and voiced. Both viewpoints must be considered.

LOVE IS A DECISION

James wrote that the anger of men does not work the righteousness of God. (Jas 1:20) However, we must remember that emotions are neither good nor bad; it is what we do with emotion that makes them good or bad. For anger to be uncontrolled is never good. Anger needs to be re-channeled into love or directed against sin. Usually we follow the axiom, "love the sinner, hate the sin," believing that love is a decision.

EXPRESS ANGER RIGHTEOUSLY

Don’t repress anger. Own it. Once you do, then you can decide what to do about it in a way that leads to healing. If you give yourself and others the permission to be angry without making a moral judgment about the anger itself, then you can work out the issues without repressing the anger. Anger is like the fault line around an earthquake.
If you never relieve the pressure in small ways, a major earthquake will result. If you express anger righteously as it comes, you can avoid a big explosion later. If you repress it when it comes, then an earthquake is on the way!

Do we know how to get angry as Jesus did? Do we know how to acknowledge it and work through it? Or do we deny it and repress it in an attempt to be like the stereotype of Jesus as meek and mild? Be like the real Jesus who got angry with those who had hardened their minds and hearts to God. Learn how to get angry in a godly way. Then you will avoid the anger that is ungodly.

John Michael Talbot

2008-01-14T15:23:00.000-06:00

NEW WINE BELONGS IN NEW SKINS

Mark 2:18-22

No man pours new wine into old wineskins ... No, new wine is poured into new skins. v. 22

There is often tension about how to fit a new movement raised up by the Spirit into the church. Too much conformity of the new to the old will destroy the uniqueness of the new. Too much rigidity on the part of the new towards the old will cause it to degenerate into self-righteousness.

DO NOT FORCE THE NEW INTO OLD CATEGORIES

The context is that Jesus and the apostles were being compared to the practice of another "renewal" group: John the Baptist and his disciples. They were also being compared to the established renewal group in Israel: the Pharisees. The apparent issue was the practice of fasting. Jesus' answer, however, applies to all customs and practices of religion. He said we cannot sew a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak or put new wine into an old wineskin. To try to do so would destroy both.

Jesus does not go so far as to say that old wine or old wineskins are bad. Neither does he say that the old cloak is bad. Quite the contrary! Old wine is sought after as the best. Likewise, there is nothing quite so comfortable as an old cloak. It is just a bad thing to try to artificially force a new movement into old categories. The new movement may not initially appear to be as good but may end up better than the old, given time.

DO NOT STIFLE THE SPIRIT

Whatever new communities and movements the Spirit raises up through various founders must be given freedom by the church to develop their own "wineskins," without being forced into the old. Likewise, the new movement must respectfully recognize that they can learn much from the older movements.

Do we stifle the Spirit by trying to put new wine into old wineskins? Do we sin through pride by not recognizing that old wine is in many ways better than new? Do we sin through pride by not admitting that the new may someday be better than the old? These are the questions we must answer for a new movement to be consistent with the words of Jesus.

John Michael Talbot

2008-01-10T12:10:00.000-06:00

JESUS WILLS WELLNESS
Mark 1:40-45

I will do it. Be cured ... Go off and present yourself to the priest and offer for your cure what Moses prescribed. That should be a proof for them. vv. 41,44

Jesus wants to heal us of our sickness. In all the gospels we never see Jesus refusing to heal anyone! The sacraments of the church confirm this truth.

NO CONFLICT WITH RELIGION

There was no immediate conflict between the healings of Jesus and the established institutional religion of the Jews. This is also true of overt Christian expressions of institutional religion.
James 5:14-16 is the scriptural base for the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. "Is there anyone sick among you? He should ask for the presbyters of the church. They in turn are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name (of the Lord.) This prayer uttered in faith will reclaim the one who is ill, and the Lord will restore him to health. If he has committed any sins, forgiveness will be his. Hence, declare your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may find healing."

In reverse logic, Paul wrote that the reason "many among you are sick and infirm, and why so many are dying" is that many receive Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper unworthily and "sin against the body and blood of the Lord" by not "recognizing the body." (1 Cor 11:27-31)

HEALING IS FOR ALL

Additionally, Jesus said, "Signs like these will accompany those who have professed their faith … they will be able to drink deadly poison without harm, and the sick upon whom they lay their hands will recover." (Mk 16:17-18) This promise of healing is for "those who have professed their faith," not just for an elite few.

Healing is not the result of clever words or sacred knowledge. It is the result of faith, love, and the power of God. As Jesus said, "If you are ready to believe that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, it shall be done for you." (Mk 11:24)

John Michael Talbot

Photo by airnos

2008-01-07T10:59:00.000-06:00

MINISTERING TO THOSE CLOSE TO US
Mark 1:29-39

He entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever. He went over to her and the fever left her. v. 29-31

How do we bring the healing ministry of Jesus to our own families and to the people closest to us? It is much easier to have a "healing ministry" with strangers, but what about those we see every day? It has been my experience that daily contact with family and friends keeps healing ministries honest!

FAMILIES CAN BE CRITICAL

Response to Jesus was not always positive. He was first rejected in his home town of Nazareth (Lk 4:23-30.) When Jesus ministered to the point of depriving himself of food, his family said, "He is out of his mind" (Mk 3:21.) Also, "he began to reproach the towns where most of his miracles had been worked, with their failure to reform" (Mt 11:20.) These towns were Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. The last is the town where he healed Peter's mother-in-law!

Perhaps this difficulty is why the early Christians required a man to be "a good manager of his own household" in order to become a bishop or deacon (1 Tm 3:1-13). Even when the whole family does not share faith in Christ, they are encouraged to stay together unless "the unbeliever wishes to separate" (1 Cor 7:12-16). Concerning the care of widows, Paul says, "If anyone does not provide for his own relatives and especially for members of his immediate family, he has denied the faith; he is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Tm 5:8). No doubt, even in the midst of domestic misunderstanding, the early Christians placed a high priority on the value of the family, as well as on the family of God.

DEALING WITH FAILURE AT HOME

Are we bold and effective among strangers and ineffective at home? If we are unwillingness to minister in the accountable setting of our own family and church home, we may notice a lack of anointing over our whole ministry. Finally, how do we deal with failure at home? Do we become angry and upset, or do we simply continue in the sure and steady love of Jesus?

John Michael Talbot

2008-01-04T15:44:00.000-06:00

EXTERNALS CAN MISLEAD US
John 1:43-52

Can anything good come from Nazareth? v. 46

We tend to judge and reject the familiar, the mundane, the common, thinking that nothing extraordinary can come out of the person or place we think we know.

DO WE JUDGE BY ASSUMPTION?

Many of the Jews did the same thing with Jesus. They assumed they knew all about him. As the Gospel of Matthew says, "Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn't Mary known to be his mother and James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? Aren’t his sisters our neighbors? Where did he get all this?" They thought they knew Jesus, but they did not. They assumed he was only a simple carpenter and only from Nazareth. They assumed he was only a Galilean. Their assumptions were wrong.

'EVERY STORY YOU MUST NOT BELIEVE'

Jesus said of his spiritual origins, "So you know me, and you know my origins? The truth is, I have not come of myself. I was sent by One who has the right to send, and him you do not know. I know him because it is from him I come: he sent me." As to his vast spiritual wisdom: "The Jews were filled with amazement and said, 'How did this man get his education when he had no teacher?' This was Jesus' answer: 'My doctrine is not my own; it comes from him who sent me.'" Not only was their judgment about earthly origins incorrect, their spiritual judgment was wrong as well. Like them, we will probably misjudge circumstances if we do not wait to know all the facts first. As Sirach said, "Admonish your friend--often it may be slander; every story you must not believe."

JUDGE BY THE SPIRIT NOT BY EXTERNALS

Do we see the extraordinary working of Jesus through ordinary people? Are we sensitive to the cosmic origins of the Spirit, or do we judge everything according to externals? Remember: "The wind blows where it will. You hear the sound it makes but you do not know where it comes from. So it is with everyone begotten by the Spirit."

Do we judge by the Spirit or the flesh? Only judgments made by the Spirit can be trusted.

John Michael Talbot

2007-12-30T15:57:00.000-06:00

ARE WE LIKE CHRIST?
John 1:19-28

The testimony John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask, "Who are you?" was the direct statement, "I am not the Messiah." They questioned him further, "Who, then? Elijah?" "I am not Elijah, "he answered." "Are you the Prophet? "No," he replied. v. 19-22

John the Baptist and Jesus were quite different although they were cousins. Much of John's teaching in the Gospel of Luke bore similarity to Jesus' teaching, but John denied that he was the Messiah, whereas Jesus clearly claimed that he was, as when he answered the Samaritan woman's comment about the Messiah by saying, "I who speak to you am he.” And when the Sanhedrin questioned if he was the Messiah, Jesus replied, "I am; and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven."

JOHN GREATEST EXCEPT FOR JESUS

Jesus said of John: "History has not known a man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer ... All the prophets as well as the law spoke prophetically until John. If you are prepared to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who was certain to come." Yet John the Baptist did not claim to be the Messiah. Jesus also said, "Yet the least born into the kingdom of God is greater than he."

THE LEAST IN THE KINGDOM IS GREATER

John the Baptist was greater than anyone born except Jesus, yet all who follow the way of Jesus are greater than John. If we realize the ramifications of this statement, it will shake our entire life. We are greater than any of the prophets. We are greater than the law. We are greater than the wisest sage. All this is implied in the name "Christian," or "like Christ."

Do we realize that to be a Christian is the greatest title and call possible on the face of the earth? There is no greater honor, no greater call, no greater challenge. If we live out what our name and title implies, we will shake the whole world. With John, let us lay aside our own ministry and simply follow Jesus Christ. There is no greater vocation possible for us.

John Michael Talbot

2007-12-28T18:21:00.000-06:00

LET US RUN A HOLY RACE
John 20:2-8

They were running side by side, but then the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. v. 4

This text calls our attention to the eagerness and the love of the apostles John and Peter. They heard Mary's news and immediately ran to the tomb of Jesus.

LEARN FROM PETER & JOHN

We can learn much from this holy race between the two apostles to the empty tomb of Jesus. John is "the disciple Jesus loved." Peter is the one Jesus chose to build his church upon. In his youthful love, John outran Peter and reached the tomb first, but entered last. John, "one of the sons of thunder," started out with zeal, but upon seeing the linen wrappings on the floor of the tomb at his arrival, hesitated. Peter ran more slowly, perhaps more surely, and went right in. It was only after following the lead of Peter that John saw and believed.

PUSH ON TO WHAT IS AHEAD

We, too, are called to run a race. Paul wrote, "Thus do I hope that I may arrive at resurrection from the dead. It is not that I have reached it yet, or have already finished my course; but I am racing to grasp the prize if possible, since I have been grasped by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not think of myself as having reached the finish line. I give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead. My entire attention is on the finish line as I run toward the prize to which God calls me - life on high in Christ Jesus."

We run this race within the church, under the leadership of Peter. We might get in front of Peter from time to time, but it will always be Peter who enters the real tomb first, and it will always be by following Peter’s lead that we come to see and believe in the Resurrected Christ in our world.

This holy race should not, however, breed a spirit of competition among us. We should only compete in doing away with worldly competition, which seeks to get ahead at the expense of another.

RUN THE RACE IN LOVE

How do we run? Do we run with sensitivity to others, or do we seek to run at the expense of another? We must run in love or else we do not run a Christian race at all!

John Michael Talbot

Photo by James Emery

2007-12-23T18:35:00.000-06:00

Jesus, Child in the Womb
Luke 1:39-45

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: "Blest are you among women and blest is the fruit of your womb." v. 41-42

It is through Mary's visit and greeting that Elizabeth was led to Jesus. It is at Mary's greeting that Elizabeth cried out in praise.

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Elizabeth also responded to John. John was "filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb" and helped his mother be filled with the Spirit. Likewise, it was John as a Spirit-filled babe in the womb who first responded to the Spirit-filled greeting of Mary. Child responded to child, and both mothers were blest indeed!

MARY HONORED & BLEST

Mary was praised as "the mother of my Lord," the Theotokos, the God-bearer. Just as the ark of the covenant was honored and reverenced because of the tablets of the law within, so too is Mary honored because of the Living Word within her womb.

Mary also modeled faith for us. "Blest is she who trusted that the Lord's words to her would be fulfilled." She is, therefore, "blest among women." And not only is she blest among women, she is blest by all generations! "All ages to come shall call me blessed" she proclaimed in her hymn of praise.

FETAL STATE SANCTIFIED

How can anyone consider aborting a fetus when it is obvious the Holy Spirit dwelt within the fetus of John the Baptist? How can we treat life so cheaply, when Jesus has sanctified the fetal state by being declared both "blessed" and "Lord" while he was in the womb? Abortion is not only the taking of life, it is an irreverence towards Jesus, the Lord and Author of life. It is not only a taking of physical human life, it is denying the Holy Spirit! How can we deny a child the opportunity of hearing the good news in life when it was just such a child who brought forth the good news of life to his mother from the womb!

John Michael Talbot

2007-12-23T18:21:00.001-06:00

Ongoing Report From India
Mother Mary and Sister Ida

These are the two lovely sisters who cared for me when I was sick and nursed me back to health during my days in reclusive solitude.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2007-12-22T14:02:00.000-06:00

Ongoing Report From India
SHANTIVANAM, PART 2

Peace and Good in Christ!

I slept very well my first overnight and morning at Shantivanam. Once the lights are out it is pitch black so that I literally could not see my hand before my face. I thought I would worry about mosquitoes, scorpions, and rats but all went fine. I woke up feeling most refreshed. It seems that the jet lag homeopathic pills have worked their magic on the trip to India.

The liturgy was good. They still recite the psalms and the chant was good. Incorporation of some Syrian Rite prayers was lovely and the use of Tamil, though new to me and strange, I found heartwarming in this setting. Mass was western except for remaining seated Indian style through all but Communion.

After mass we walked across the road from the brothers' side at Shantivanam to the sisters' side. Sr. Mary Louisa continues to "mother" us, but not so much as last night, allowing us to settle in a bit more.

I have asked for some hermit time in my hut, and they graciously assured me that it is no problem. I look forward to it.

Many "searchers" come to Shantivanam. Maybe they are looking for an alternative to the normal way of worshiping and praying in the west, which to some appears cold, ritualized, and rote. Nevertheless, the monks and sisters here are well rooted in orthodoxy, many attending school in Rome as part of their formation. We also visited the monks' local formation house a few acres away. It is a beautiful place, with a chapel that rightly reflects the east/west dimension to the charisma of Shantivanam. So there are rock solid roots at Shantivanam that allow for outreach to seekers from all around the world.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2007-12-21T15:06:00.000-06:00

Ongoing Report From India
SHANTIVANAM

Peace and Good in Christ!

The drive to Shantivanam, our main destination here in India, was long and wet. It is the dry season, but we have been hit with a heavy rain forecast to last four days. But while most Indians are complaining about the cold and wearing wraps and such, we North Americans are rejoicing in the cool breezes.

Shantivanam consists of two ashrams: one for the brothers and one for the sisters. The guests are received by the sisters. Sr. Mary Louisa, a contemporary of Fr. Bede Griffiths, nearly moved us to tears of joy and gratitude by the reverent way she received and greeted us. The other sisters were also most kind.

I am happy with my little hut/hermitage. It is primitive by our standards but sufficient to take care of basic housing needs. It has minimal electricity, a most simple bath and toilet facility, but a more than adequate cell with a bed, desk, and two chairs. We sleep under mosquito nets and praise God for them! But as I arranged my stuff, I found everything works out just fine, as long as a computer and such are not too important to you. These accommodations remind me of our first days at Ometepe in Nicaragua.

Upon settling in we attended Evening Prayer, which consisted of normal psalms as found in most monasteries and some Tamil chants and music indigenous to the area, Tamil Nadu. The psalms were recited, but the Tamil songs included beautiful Indian melodies that stirred my soul to meditation and prayer. Also included was a traditional Indian ritual of bringing the blessing of the fire to your face in a way very similar to the "smudging" practiced in Roman Catholic worship among the Navajo in the USA. I found it solemn and beautiful.

Afterward we ate in the guest dining room inside a building that is open to the outside without a formal door. The food was offered to us with great reverence. We were told they had been awaiting our visit with anticipation. I was surprised by this since I am a newcomer to India and to interfaith communities regardless of my years of study and practice in hermitage. I am just getting my feet wet in an actual visit beyond my hermitage to a center of interfaith practice that retains an unquestioned focus on Jesus, but without doing violence to the authentic spiritual leaders of the Hinduism of India.

I feel especially close to Sr. Mary Louisa but I think she makes everyone feel that way. She seems the unquestioned spiritual mother of Shantivanam. Their numbers are small here, but they are great souls with big hearts.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

2007-12-20T10:25:00.000-06:00

HAVE A HEALTHY FEAR OF GOD AS MARY DID

Luke 1:26-38

I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say. v. 38

Before her confession of faith in verse 38, Mary responded with fear." She was deeply troubled by the angel's words, and wondered what his meaning meant." Gabriel then instructed her, "Do not fear, Mary. You have found favor with God."

RESPOND WITH AWE-FILLED FEAR

Scripture tells us: (1) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge," and (2) "Perfect love casts out all fear." In this we see that fear can be either compelling or crippling. Somewhere between these two extremes is wisdom. In all the infancy narratives, the servants of God responded with an awe-filled fear. In all the accounts, the angel of the Lord said, "Be not afraid." Once we know God's love, crippling fear leaves.

QUESTION WITHOUT LOSING FAITH

The psalmist wrote, "I pondered and my spirit questioned." It is alright to question God and to ponder as long as it is done in faith rather than doubt. An obedient child questions its parents in good faith, believing it will receive a helpful answer. A rebellious child questions in order to challenge a parent's authority and knowledge. Both question. One is obedient and faithful while the other is rebellious and full of doubt. Mary questioned, but she never lost faith. She modeled faith for us and showed us how to question without losing faith, without losing heart when the physical world seems to contradict the promises given by the Spirit.

FEAR GOD IN A HEALTHY WAY

There is a big difference between being afraid of God and possessing the fear of God which leads to wisdom. If we fear God in a healthy way as Mary did, we will discover his love, which casts out all fear. Sometimes we are full of doubts, yet we journey towards faith without despair.

John Michael Talbot

Photo of The Annunciation by El Greco, in the public domain

2007-12-15T11:21:00.000-06:00

Ongoing Report From India
SANNYASIN

Peace and Good in Christ!

Sannyasin take up a strict life of renunciation to be totally free of the desires of this world. Some, like this one, wander living on alms. Others, sometimes called Sadhus, settle down and disciples gather around them forming ashrams, or communities.

What distinguishes an ashram from a simple community, like Auroville, is the idea of ritual prayers and meditation at certain times of the day. Some are communal, and some are practiced in solitude, like at Shantivanam. This is the second Sannyasin I saw on my journeys here in India. The first was at Auroville.

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

Founder and Spiritual Father

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage