The Narthex
Is Thomas's Doubt Bad?
We sometimes jump to conclusions about others’ motivations
By John M. Grondelski | April 30th 2025 11:17 AMThe Gospel of the Second Sunday of Easter (Jn 20:19-31) incorporates two appearances by Jesus to His Apostles. His first, on Easter Sunday evening, is the institution of the sacrament of Penance, entrusting the ministry of forgiveness to His Apostles. The second, a week later, is when he confronts “doubting…
READ FULL BLOG POSTJonah's Call from God
He could not imagine God talking outside of a certain box, but he learned
By John M. Grondelski | January 6th 2025 12:36 PMRoman Brandstaetter, the twentieth-century Polish author born into a highly observant Jewish family, always spoke of becoming Catholic not as a “conversion” but as a “fulfillment.” That perspective illumined his many religious writings, including his novella about the prophet Jonah. Brandstaetter’s Jonah was not the stiff-necked and somewhat simple man…
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