Latest Reflections
Stories of faith, memory, Scripture, and the quiet ways grace meets us in ordinary life.
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Against All Odds: The Great Escape
Part 2 of Across Countries and Cultures: Journeyer for Truth A Man of Many Languages Unlike many of his fellow conscripted acquaintances, Ján was well educated. In particular, he was a master multi-linguist, able to proficiently speak Czech, Slovak, German, French and Italian. This would prove to be tremendously beneficial for him as tensions continued…
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Across Continents and Cultures: A Journeyer For Truth (Pt.1)
(What follows will be an ongoing series about the life and times of my Great Grandfather John Švagera. He truly had a remarkable life which included being a Czech Legionnaire during the First World War, working with the Borglum family and raising a family on the farm fields of Nebraska during the Great Depression.) He…
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When Magazines Were Used For More Than Reading
I am eternally grateful that I was afforded the opportunity to have an amazing relationship with both of my grandfathers. They were both born in the summer of 1923, within two weeks of each other. Both of them grew up on farms during the height of the Great Depression. They would both find their way…
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O Righteous Judge, Grant They Gift of Absolution
As a society we have become inundated by emojis. Most of us have become like robots when scrolling through social media sites, handing out countless compulsory “likes.” Everyday, all day, usually without giving much thought to what we are “liking.” We wish happy birthdays to people we have not seen in years. Sometimes even to…
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Who Thee By Faith Before The World Confessed
On this blessed Solemnity of All Saints, I would like to offer a reflection on the littlest Saints of God. These precious ones were not famous martyrs, theologians, missionaries, kings or queens, yet they shine before the Altar of God just as beautifully as any of them. Their witness is not recorded in grandiose stories…
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Victory of The Crucifix, Český Gulaš, Beer and Nazis
A wise person should know that it is never a good idea to come between a feisty Czech and their gulaš and beer. More inane yet is to mess with a feisty Czech nun and her Savior. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with common sense. Especially those affiliated with the Nazi party. Thus we get…
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For One Brief Shining Moment Perfection Was Grasped
Justice, Chivalry and the noble pursuit of Perfection. A trifold approach to achieving Plato’s idealized Utopian society. Those of us familiar with English history, or perhaps musical theater, will recognize these as the hallmarks on which the Court of Camelot stood. We recall Camelot today with heartrending emotion. A sort of unattainable, Garden of Eden…
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I Was Dead But Now I Am Alive!
It’s funny the amount of things that we take for granted on a daily basis. Lights turning on immediately after hitting a switch, cars starting right up, our bodies taking breath after breath without a single concentrated thought from us. Three years ago this month I was lying in a hospital bed struggling by the…
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The Gift of Apples and the Churning of Fall
Nietzsche once quipped, “I notice Autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.” On a recent trip to the apple orchard I was reminded just how true this sentiment is. The falling leaves, the crisp fall air and the wafting smell of fermenting apples completely rejuvenated my spirits. Perhaps it was the…
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