Category Archives: IM Recommended Reading

In the Spirit, in community, with an ear well trained

Here’s another passage today from Henri Nouwen on the subject of spiritual discernment. By dipping deeply into the well of our own lives, we can discern the movement of God’s Spirit in our lives. Careful discernment remains our lifelong task. I can see no other way for discernment than a life in the Spirit, aContinue reading “In the Spirit, in community, with an ear well trained”

Hearing a deeper sound

I am working on a new project about spiritual discernment and one of the books I’m reading is the third book in a trilogy by Henri Nouwen, compiled and edited from original materials found in the Henri J. M. Nouwen Archives at the University of Toronto. I thought this passage from one of the introductoryContinue reading “Hearing a deeper sound”

The “Automaticities” of Faith

In his book You Are What You Love, James K. A. Smith references the work of Timothy Wilson, a psychologist at the University of Virginia, writing: At one point Wilson wagers that only about 5 percent of what we do in a given day is the outcome of conscious, deliberate choices we make, processed by thatContinue reading “The “Automaticities” of Faith”

The Shape of the Jesus Story and the Jesus-Shaped Life

The Shape of the Jesus Story and the Jesus-Shaped Life Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. • 1 Corinthians 11:1 • • • Michael J. Gorman calls the narrative celebrated in the Christ-hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 “Paul’s Master Story.” Less widely recognized is the evidence that this text permeates all his letters,Continue reading “The Shape of the Jesus Story and the Jesus-Shaped Life”

Ordinary Time Bible Study: Philippians — Friends in the Gospel (11)

Ordinary Time Bible Study Philippians: Friends in the Gospel Study Eleven: Tom Wright on Phil. 2:12-18 • • • PHILIPPIANS 2:12-18 What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated fromContinue reading “Ordinary Time Bible Study: Philippians — Friends in the Gospel (11)”

Real Virtue Is “Second Nature”

Real Virtue Is “Second Nature” In a sense, then, to become virtuous is to internalize the law (and the good to which the law points) so that you follow it more or less automatically. As Aristotle put it, when you’ve acquired a moral habit, it becomes second nature. Why do we call things “second” nature?Continue reading “Real Virtue Is “Second Nature””

“More a matter of hungering and thirsting than of knowing and believing.”

In his book, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit, James K. A. Smith says that “the first, last, and most fundamental question of Christian discipleship” is  “What do you want?”. This is the most incisive, piercing question Jesus can ask of us precisely because we are what we want. Our wants andContinue reading ““More a matter of hungering and thirsting than of knowing and believing.””

Wisdom for Ordinary Time: Eugene Peterson on Abraham, the “Friend of God”

During Ordinary Time this year, I am reading and meditating on Eugene Peterson’s book, As Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed by the Words of God. It captures sermons from Peterson’s twenty-nine years as a pastor in Bel Air, Maryland. Occasionally during this season I am posting some reflections on theContinue reading “Wisdom for Ordinary Time: Eugene Peterson on Abraham, the “Friend of God””

Musings on Moral Theology (4)

Note from CM: This is our final meditation on Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Soon, we will take a look at Richard Beck’s book, Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality, as a complement to this series. • • • Musings on Moral Theology (4)Continue reading “Musings on Moral Theology (4)”

Musings on Moral Theology (3)

Note from CM: Our Ordinary Time Bible Study in Philippians will be switched to Fridays, to allow three days at the beginning of week to cover other topics. • • • Musings on Moral Theology (3) Moral psychology can help to explain why the Democratic Party has had so much difficulty connecting with voters sinceContinue reading “Musings on Moral Theology (3)”