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April 2026

April 01, 2026

Making the Truth Laugh: An April Fools Day Reflection

I know that today is Wednesday in Holy Week, but it is also April Fools...

November 2025

November 09, 2025

One Wife for Seven Brothers

It's football season! Here's a conversation overheard as a bunch of guys at a sports...

October 2025

October 09, 2025

I’m Headed to Beer Camp!

I am an unabashed beer snob. I am also a single-malt scotch snob, but that's...

August 2025

August 24, 2025

When We Say What We Don’t Believe

Today's appointed lectionary Psalm is one of my two or three favorites of all of...

June 2025

June 17, 2025

Which Sport Does the World’s Most Interesting Man Prefer?

My brother and I stay in contact most regularly on Facebook, where he had the...

March 2024

March 17, 2024

Saint Patrick? Let Me Introduce you to Saint Bridget!

Today is St. Patrick's Day, not my favorite holiday (as you'll see below). Portions of...

March 14, 2024

Eating Your Words. Literally.

Truth isn’t sympathetic to our need for certainty or stability. Jared Enns, “The Bible for...

August 2023

August 20, 2023

Even the Best of Us has Bad Days

A conversation heard behind the scenes: Dude! Did you see what just happened?? How could...

April 2023

April 04, 2023

What Happens at the Fig Tree Stays at the Fig Tree

For those unfamiliar with the liturgical calendar, the Sunday and feast day assigned readings rotate...

March 2023

March 16, 2023

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day. Big Deal.

Tomorrow is a big day for Providence College sports fans. Our men's hockey team will...

February 2023

February 07, 2023

The Bible is Made of Chocolate

Truth isn’t sympathetic to our need for certainty or stability. Jared Enns, “The Bible for...

November 2022

November 06, 2022

One Wife for Seven Brothers: A Strange Story with an Important Lesson

A conversation overheard as a bunch of guys at a sports bar wait for the...

September 2022

September 04, 2022

Exploring the Studio Space with God

Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. Bruce Dickinson Regular...

July 2022

July 07, 2022

Descending and Ascending the Mountain of the Lord

Facebook reminded me that eight years ago I was on retreat at the New Camoldoli...

June 2022

June 11, 2022

The Spiritual Life of Crows

My childhood was filled with unusual characters, all products of my father’s fertile imagination. A...

April 2022

April 12, 2022

Jewish Holy Man Kills Innocent Fig Tree In a Fit of Temper

A bit over a decade ago, I spent spent the early months of the year...

March 2022

March 31, 2022

Jesus on April Fools Day

I know it's the middle of Lent, but tomorrow is April Fools Day. It's the...

March 19, 2022

Hanging Out with the World’s Most Interesting Man

His words carry weight that would break a less interesting man’s jaw Every once in...

March 17, 2022

Today Is St. Patrick’s Day. Big Deal.

Three years ago, I had a brief locker room conversation with a campus security guard...

March 07, 2022

A Stranger (Protestant) in a Strange Land (Catholic)

Last Wednesday the student in front of me in line at the little on campus...

December 2021

December 26, 2021

Jesus Goes to the Temple, and then gets grounded

Each week for many years, Garrison Keillor told “Prairie Home Companion” listeners the news from...

October 2021

October 12, 2021

Looking for God in All the Wrong Places

Although it often caused trouble and brought me grief during my primary and secondary education...

August 2021

August 10, 2021

What Does the Lord Require? More Cowbell

Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. Bruce Dickinson Regular...

August 03, 2021

The Divine Plan for Delegating Authority: Just About Anything Goes

I recently had the opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with the new Provost at...

June 2021

June 24, 2021

A Modest Proposal: Should My Time Be For Sale?

My next book project is a memoir about the teaching life. I started gathering materials...

March 2021

March 31, 2021

An April Fools Day Question About Jesus: Did He Ever Laugh?

I know we're in the middle of Holy Week. I know that today is Maundy...

May 2020

May 10, 2020

Sometimes, Getting Stoned is a Bad Thing

The New Testament reading in today's lectionary line-up is the stoning of Stephen from the...

April 2020

April 16, 2020

Faith in a Time of Doubt and Uncertainty

The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty Anne Lamott We are currently living...

November 2019

November 12, 2019

One Wife for Seven Brothers: An important lesson from a strange story

A strange story from Luke's gospel was the gospel for the day last Sunday. It...

September 2019

September 13, 2019

Jesus and Karl Marx walk into a adult beverage establishment . . .

We should read the New Testament as saying that how we treat each other on...

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