Father Ray Dobson’s Blog

Drawn, not dragged We have never been more connected.We can speak to people on the other side of the world in seconds. We can see photographs of cousins, classmates, parishioners, and strangers throughout the day. We can follow hundreds or even thousands of people online.And yet many people are deeply lonely. We are surrounded by […]

Part II: The Feed and the Heart — Making Room for Holy Silence We live in a world that seems afraid of silence.At almost any moment, we can reach into a pocket and enter an endless stream of headlines, opinions, arguments, advertisements, outrage, amusement, and distraction. The modern “feed” is never finished. There is always

Part I: The Frictionless Life — When Convenience Becomes a Master We live in an age that treats convenience almost as a holy virtue.With a few taps on a screen, we can order a meal, purchase almost anything, speak with someone across the world,watch a film, pay a bill, or avoid standing in a line.

I heard a person on a podcast state: “The God of the Old Testament is certainly not the God of the New Testament.They are different gods.”Before one reaches for last days persecution signage, this is old hat.Marcion of Sinope ( 85-160 AD) wished to offer the Holy Scriptures with references to the Old Testament effectively

Just Because We’re Breathing Doesn’t Mean We’re Living My mother used to say: “Just because people are doing what they’re doing doesn’t mean they’re alive.”The older I get, the more I think she was onto something. We often assume life is obvious. If the lungs fill… if the heart beats… if there is work, worry,

Jesus says, “Do not fear.” Notice the command is not: “There is nothing frightening.”Rather, it is: “Do not let fear become your master.” Yet in the same passage Jesus says:“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew