I’ve always struggled with accepting smallness, in the form of complete anonymity, and in the age of social media, I wonder if it’s a greater struggle than ever. What is it in us pushing us to want to be famous? Why do we want to be known? Why do we want to be known by … More Being Small
There is a part of me that hungers to never have to speak again. When I envision an idyllic future, the vision often includes a large patch of land, a small cabin, and complete silence. Part of my hunger for silence comes not from a dislike of speaking, but from the regret I often feel … More Last Thoughts on The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise
I found God in the basement of the Massachusetts Archives, during the fall of 2001, with the help of a very attractive young woman that I wanted to have sex with. The woman ultimately disappeared, but the faith remained. Working at the Massachusetts Archives was the final of my four co-ops, as part of my … More A Quick Look Back and God: An Introduction
There’s a complaint I’ve long had about radio shows – the two prime examples being Mike Greenberg on the soon to be ending Mike & Mike show on ESPN, and Lino Rulli on The Catholic Guy show on Sirius/XM. The hosts use what I call “strategic idiocy”. It works like this: a radio host has … More Strategic Idiocy and Social Media Catholicism
Entering contemplation, entering into the silence of solitary prayer is entering into pain. I’m often startled by the pain, the amount of loneliness that is present with silence. I never realized how much my ability to understand has been programed with the need of all of my senses. Many of us are programed from birth … More A Still Small Voice
Recently I was asked by a friend if I wanted to have kids. I said, “I’ve been told a woman would have to be involved. At least that’s what biology says.” Desiring a hermit like life, having a woman be a part of that would be complicated. So, no woman equals no children. My comment, … More The Hermit’s Guiding to Modern Dating: Humor
I’m currently reading Cardinal Sarah’s The Power of Silence. In The Power of Silence, Cardinal Sarah doesn’t only going into how silence connects us to God, and how the world is increasingly forcing noise upon us. He also touches on visual noise. The best example of visual noise today may be Instagram. In reading the … More Crossfit and Sex
I may have received some bad news today. My grand plan, as I had envisioned it, may not happen anytime soon, if at all. My hope that recent efforts at work would lead to a windfall of funds may be over, and the fantasy of paying off my mortgage and diving deeper into visions of … More The Simple Plan Delayed
The start of another week of work means another week of frantic, salary-earning actions that will get me what I deserve, but not what I want. What do I want? I don’t know. Maybe a hug? Sometimes when I fall into these moods about work, I feel like a child, because what I want is … More A Case of the Mondays
I am trying to reject the world. I don’t hide away from that word – reject. Rejection is part of the process that cannot be skipped. In Thomas Merton’s The Sign of Jonas, Merton reflects back on his younger motivation for entering the monastery, calling it a rejection of the world, but, 9-years into the … More First Comes Rejection, Then Comes Love
The Hermit in the Desert 