
jbullock860
- Mar 8
- 3 min
War, Tolkien, & Lent
Heart… War in the Ukraine as well as its possible escalation in both intensity and in the number of participating nations has us all...
214 views1 comment

jbullock860
- Feb 1
- 3 min
A Lesson to Learn from Covid
Head… Albeit painfully slowly, and not without fits and starts, it seems we may be beginning to see the light at the end of the Covid...
224 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Jan 10
- 3 min
Good Riddance 2021?
Heart… On New Year’s Eve someone texted me, ‘I’m not staying up tonight in order to welcome in the new year, but to make sure that the...
168 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Dec 15, 2021
- 2 min
What Difference Does Christmas Make?
Heart… What difference does Christmas make? We sing of ‘Peace on Earth’, and ‘Joy to the World,’ all the while observing racial...
197 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Nov 11, 2021
- 4 min
Marvel at the Beauty All Around You
Heart… While still in seminary I heard a story about Warner Sallman, the painter of the famous Jesus portrait. Fr. William, who gave the...
160 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Oct 19, 2021
- 4 min
Body & Soul - An Open Letter to Jordan Peterson
Head… Dear Dr. Peterson, I am a Catholic priest and have followed you for some time, watching many of your YouTube videos and reading...
430 views2 comments

jbullock860
- Sep 27, 2021
- 3 min
Watch Your Spiritual Diet
Head… Internationally, America is known as the land of hamburgers, French fries, hot dogs, potato chips, and fast food. We have all...
296 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Sep 7, 2021
- 3 min
Secularism's Problem With Fear
Head… Our secular society has a big problem… it is deeply afraid. ‘Afraid of what?’ you may ask. Secularists - those who act as if there...
229 views1 comment

jbullock860
- Aug 18, 2021
- 3 min
The Power of Humility
Heart… The English philosopher David Hume declared that humility, among other monkish virtues, serves ‘to no manner or purpose.’[i] The...
218 views0 comments

jbullock860
- May 17, 2021
- 4 min
Liberalism's Problem with Objective Truth
Head… Introduction The following is an e-mail sent to Dave Rubin regarding his book, titled, ‘Don’t Burn this Book.’ Dave directs his...
216 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Apr 30, 2021
- 4 min
Something Special About St. Joseph
Heart... Something special is happening with St. Joseph. I have recently encountered numerous people developing a great devotion to him –...
187 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Mar 22, 2021
- 3 min
Culture Transcends Politics
Head… Cultural Marxists have left no stone unturned and declared most American institutions and traditions to be racist, sexist or...
232 views1 comment

jbullock860
- Feb 9, 2021
- 3 min
Conquer Evil by Doing Good
Head… In the face of recent political developments, our skepticism about the electoral system, government, the media, and social media...
300 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Dec 9, 2020
- 4 min
Living Unplugged to Connect
Heart… Recently someone recommended that I read ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’ by John Mark Comer. As expected, the book observes...
320 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Nov 23, 2020
- 3 min
Thanksgiving in Difficult Times
Heart… In 1621 William Bradford’s pilgrims at Plymouth together with native Americans celebrated the first of what we have come to know...
609 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Nov 2, 2020
- 3 min
The Gates of Hell
Heart… These are uneasy times. The political and social tension in our country seems to be reaching new heights. Riots and violence in...
325 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Sep 19, 2020
- 5 min
Listening for God
Head... How do we know when God is speaking with us? How do we discern his voice? As with any dialogue, there is someone who speaks and...
348 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Sep 5, 2020
- 6 min
In Memory of Frank Pierce
Heart... [From the funeral homily of Frank Pierce – September 4, 2020 – printed with permission of the family. After the homily is a...
2,206 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Aug 24, 2020
- 4 min
Listen to One Another
Head… As a priest, I frequently am asked for advice, and I willingly give it. At times, I give it even when not asked. Not surprisingly,...
353 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Jul 10, 2020
- 3 min
Decidedly Joyful
Heart… St. John Paul II had already been bishop in Cracow for some years and in a non-stop struggle with the Polish Communist regime to...
379 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Jun 11, 2020
- 2 min
Pray for America
Heart… The Allied troops occupied Post-World War II Austria. American, British and French troops were in the western part of Austria, and...
269 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Apr 25, 2020
- 3 min
Coronavirus & God's Wrath
Head... With all the upheaval and suffering caused by the Coronavirus, whether illness or death, economic hardship or emotional strain,...
393 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Apr 2, 2020
- 3 min
Something Beautiful is Happening
Heart… There are now two weeks of the Coronavirus behind us, with apparently four more weeks of quarantine on the horizon. Our first...
345 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Mar 19, 2020
- 3 min
A Spiritual Strategy for Coronavirus
Heart… This Lent is the most unique I have seen in my lifetime. Apart from our usual Lenten practices, the Corona Virus quarantine has...
504 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Feb 22, 2020
- 3 min
May Catholics Fight?
Head… As a Catholic in today’s world, it can be easy to get discouraged or even angry. It seems that society is getting further and...
347 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Jan 3, 2020
- 3 min
The Embrace of Marriage
Heart… [from a wedding homily] What word, what image can reflect the vocation of marriage and family? Many words relate to the vocation,...
316 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Nov 6, 2019
- 4 min
Know Your Story, Tell Your Story
Head... There is something profoundly human about a story; it is something that we as Catholics must rediscover. A story has power.
182 views2 comments

jbullock860
- Oct 1, 2019
- 2 min
Small Gesture, Big Heart
Heart... The other morning I was in the McDonald’s drive-through to get breakfast. It was a two-lane drive-through, and sure enough, my...
191 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Sep 4, 2019
- 1 min
Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution
Review… Sue Ellen Browder. Subverted – How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women’s Movement. San Francisco: Ignatius Press,...
114 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Aug 28, 2019
- 3 min
We Accept Everyone as They Are
Head… I have frequently seen church signs, advertisements or bumper stickers that say something to the effect of, ‘we accept everyone...
143 views2 comments

jbullock860
- Aug 20, 2019
- 3 min
Back to Work
Heart… I just finished vacationing with the priests and brother from my local community, five of us in total. It was our ‘family’...
165 views1 comment

jbullock860
- Jul 9, 2019
- 3 min
God Bless America
Head... ‘God bless America, land that I love, Stand beside her and guide her, Through the night with the light from above’ [Irving...
120 views1 comment

jbullock860
- Jun 20, 2019
- 3 min
A Late Meeting & a Chocolate Bar
Heart… I did my novitiate in Germany. We were a small community totaling about 25 people including novices, religious, priests and two...
183 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Jun 3, 2019
- 3 min
Conscience Knocking at Your Door
For the head… While still in seminary, I went on a ski camp for boys, ages 11 to 13. It was my second ski camp, and my skiing talent was...
163 views0 comments

jbullock860
- May 11, 2019
- 3 min
The Two Women I Most Admire
Heart… ‘When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to...
272 views1 comment

jbullock860
- Apr 16, 2019
- 3 min
Notre Dame Amidst the Flames & Its Transcendent Message
Heart… Yesterday Paris, France and the world watched in shock and sadness as flames engulfed the 14th Century Gothic Cathedral known as...
178 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Mar 26, 2019
- 3 min
'Christian, know your faith.'
For the Head… I read an article by a professor who taught introductory religious studies. He would give his students a religious...
248 views0 comments

jbullock860
- Mar 6, 2019
- 4 min
A Nurse, a Doctor & an Examination
For the Heart… I was in the hospital lying flat on my back in my pajamas on the exam table, with the nurse clutching her clipboard...
364 views2 comments

fr.john
- Feb 12, 2019
- 3 min
Is a Lasting Love Still Possible?
For the Heart… The color red, countless hearts, Cupid and his bow, candy and roses all indicate that the day dedicated to those in love...
245 views0 comments

fr.john
- Feb 6, 2019
- 3 min
Letter to an Atheist about Religion & Dialogue
For the Head… Dear Greta, I read your article ‘Why should atheists have to show respect for religion?’[i] [here]. [Warning to reader:...
271 views0 comments

fr.john
- Jan 19, 2019
- 3 min
Four Travelers, a Mountain, & a Guide
For the Head: Does it matter what religion you are? Imagine an enormous mountain. Its base has a vast circumference and its peak is...
296 views0 comments

fr.john
- Jan 4, 2019
- 3 min
A Flea Market, a Fiddle and an Old Man
For the Heart: Tom was surprised to find himself at the flea market, not merely as a potential customer, but with a booth of his own. He...
120 views1 comment

fr.john
- Dec 21, 2018
- 4 min
Is Faith Irrational?
For the Head... [2nd in a 2 part series]. [link to part 1] In the previous post, we have seen that faith is ‘to hold something for true...
125 views1 comment

fr.john
- Dec 15, 2018
- 5 min
Is Faith Irrational?
For the Head: [1st in a 2 part series] Is Faith Irrational? Is faith a mere ‘stab in the dark?’ Is it simply shutting off our...
179 views0 comments

fr.john
- Dec 7, 2018
- 3 min
Starbucks, a Tip Jar, & a Rosary
For the Heart… I was meeting a young man at the Starbucks on campus. As I went to pay for my chilled Vanilla Frappuccino in cash, I came...
355 views2 comments

fr.john
- Nov 30, 2018
- 2 min
RETURN: DRAWING YOUR CHILD BACK TO CHURCH
RECOMMENDED Book Review Vogt, Brandon. Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church. Winter Springs, Florida: Nouminous Books, 2015....
142 views1 comment

fr.john
- Nov 23, 2018
- 3 min
Science, God & Design
For the Head… ‘My practice as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil...
155 views0 comments

fr.john
- Nov 13, 2018
- 3 min
Giving your All
For the Heart… In the movie Hacksaw Ridge [spoiler alert] Desmond Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist who was pacifist and refused to use a...
330 views1 comment

fr.john
- Nov 10, 2018
- 1 min
Review: 'Something other than God'
RECOMMENDED Book Review Jennifer Fulwiler. Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It. San...
108 views0 comments

fr.john
- Nov 10, 2018
- 2 min
Pickle Jar
FOR THE HEART: I never thought that a pickle jar could have changed my life. I was eleven years old. I had been raised Catholic, but...
181 views1 comment