top of page
_edited.jpg)
Search
Wherever the Church Is Renewed
Why the Desert Fathers Continue to Speak to Every Generation “Wherever there is a renewal of Christian life, there one finds a return to the Desert Fathers.” — Fr. Irénée Hausherr, S.J. Fr. Irénée Hausherr’s observation has remained with me for many years: “Wherever there is a renewal of Christian life, there one finds a return to the Desert Fathers.” The older I become, the more I believe he was describing something far deeper than a historical pattern. He was pointing to a
Father Charbel Abernethy
Aug 54 min read
The Fire We Protect
On Desire, Companionship, and the Purity of the Heart “Nothing so cools the fire that the Holy Spirit breathes into a monk’s heart for the sanctification of his soul, as familiar intercourse, much speaking, and association.” ⸻ Synopsis of Tonight’s Group on The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian Homily 15 paragraphs 11-13 At first reading, Isaac’s words can sound severe, even shocking. He speaks of idle speech as fornication, unhealthy attachments as adultery, and cer
Father Charbel Abernethy
Jun 103 min read
Beyond Analysis
Where the Religious Self Dies and Christ Becomes Life “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 There was a time when I believed that if one went deeply enough into the self, if one endured the long work of analysis with honesty and courage, then something essential would be uncovered and healed. And to a certain extent, this is true. Analysis demands a kind of truthfulness that many never approach. It exposes the hidden movements of the heart. It reveals th
Father Charbel Abernethy
Apr 133 min read
The Scandal Freud Could Not Endure
On the death of the ego and the obedience that reason cannot accept “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus… who humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5–8 ⸻ Freud was not entirely wrong. He saw that what most men call faith is a construction. A support. A defense against the terror of being alone in a universe that does not answer them. He saw that men create God in order to survive themselves. He saw tha
Father Charbel Abernethy
Feb 114 min read
Tags
bottom of page