A father, husband, brother, and son — seeking the sacramental, as a seminarian discovering God’s wisdom each day.
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Following His Words Changes Everything Over time, I’ve discovered that truly following the words of Jesus — His actual words in Scripture — is not only transformative, it’s the purest way to live a life of faith. It hasn’t made me a “liberal.” It hasn’t made me “woke.”It has made me something far simpler, and infinitely deeper:A…
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After months of deep immersion in my Master of Divinity program, I find myself writing again. The pause was necessary—absorbing, integrating, and wrestling with the content of five challenging, beautiful courses left little space for my own words to emerge. But now, after passing Intro to Theological Formation, Jewish Mysticism, Esoteric Christianity, Eastern Mysticism, and New Cosmology, I sense…
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When I look at the state of the world today, my heart aches. The division in our politics, the hatred and bigotry that pour out in our communities, the cruelty of homelessness in the midst of abundance—it all weighs heavily on me. I see people judged for simply being different, excluded because they do not…
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26 August 2025 [Note: This article was originally written as a reflection essay as part of my studies for seminary. I share it here in its entirety for anyone who might gain spiritual insight or just for your enjoyment. – JM] Two Chapels, Two Messages of Love Yesterday, I was blessed with the opportunity to…
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For much of my life, I have searched for a place where faith felt alive—where spirituality was not about fear or exclusion, but about love, healing, and truth. There were seasons when I thought I had found it, and others when I nearly gave up searching altogether. Life has not spared me from hardship. I…
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On August 15th, I will kneel before the altar and be ordained to the ancient Order of Acolyte—an order that has quietly endured through the centuries, often unnoticed but deeply significant. This moment comes not as a formality, but as a threshold: a sacred invitation to deeper service, devotion, and transformation. It is no coincidence…
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“Called Beneath Her Mantle: A Seminary Acceptance on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel” On July 16, the Church commemorates the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel—a day soaked in mystery, devotion, and maternal tenderness. For centuries, it has been a day set aside to honor Mary not only as the Mother…
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Doctrine / Title Roman Catholic Eastern Orthodox Independent Catholic (e.g. Old Catholic, CACA, OSST) 1. Divine Motherhood (Theotokos) ✅ Defined at Council of Ephesus (431) ✅ Affirmed at Ephesus; central to Orthodox theology ✅ Affirmed; considered foundational 2. Perpetual Virginity ✅ Dogma: Virgin before, during, and after Christ’s birth ✅ Strongly affirmed in liturgy and…
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1. What Is Apostolic Succession? Apostolic succession is the historic-theological claim that the authority Christ entrusted to the Twelve Apostles—especially to teach, sanctify, and govern the Church—is transmitted by the laying-on of hands (ordination) from bishop to bishop in an unbroken line.Key elements Element Meaning Physical sign Imposition of hands with an ordination prayer calling…
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There came a time in my life when the call to serve God through the Church grew louder than the noise of my own doubts. Drawn by a longing I couldn’t explain, I entered seminary—a sacred space where I would spend three formative years immersed in prayer, study, and spiritual formation. Those years were not…