Letters from the Heart

Letter #104 - Learn to See Ourselves as the Pharisees in Today’s Gospel Reading

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:01:49 GMT

Collage I asked ChatGPT to invent from the text on this letter.

Dear Brethren:

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory now and forever!

Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ diatribe against the Pharisees started yesterday:

Jesus said
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!” (Matthew 23:27-32)

We often think ourselves better than the generations that came before us. The generational gap became acute in our country when the Baby Boomers came of age in the 1960s. Many of the leading cultural voices of that generation rejected their parents’ values. Never trust anyone over 30 became a slogan. The Baby Boomers thought they could create a utopia through radical politics and the rejection of religion.

Alas, it did not work that way. Then we, Generation X, came along, largely indifferent to the Boomer hoopla and cynical about its results. We thought we could fix the mess the Boomers had left us. We could not, and we did not. That is all I can say from direct experience. My children and grandchildren will have to judge their own generations.

The Pharisees Jesus criticized fell into the same trap. They looked down on their ancestors, those who lived normal pagan lives and persecuted, even murdered, the prophets. They were sure they would never have done such things. Yet when push came to shove, many failed just as badly.

The same conflicts appear in the Church. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the so-called liturgy wars. I have no doubt that many celebrants of the Liturgy of St. Paul VI thought they could do it better than those who celebrated the older liturgy. The list of abuses is long.

But now, 60 years later, as we approach greater stability in the proper celebration of the Mass, others have fallen into the same delusion. They think they can do it better by returning to the older liturgy. Many think themselves better not only than us, but also than those who celebrated the liturgy before us. If the pattern continues, I can predict the outcome: they will fail.

We should learn from our ancestors, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We should learn from the last two so that we do not repeat them. But to think ourselves better than those who came before us is delusional, haughty, and hubristic.

This is what I understand Jesus to have meant: don’t believe yourselves better than your ancestors, specially in matters of faith. Because, you aren’t. I saw them. I was there as sure as I AM here.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #103 - Peter is the Steward of the Master’s House

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 04:01:08 GMT

St. Peter receives the keys. (Source)

Dear Brethren:

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory now and forever!

Today’s readings center about Peter’s confession of faith in Caesarea Philippi. It’s also about Jesus’ conferral of the primacy on Peter based on this confession.

The First Reading sets the tone. Taken from Isaiah, the segment describes the duties of Eliakim, son of Hilkiah:

He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut,
when he shuts, no one shall open.

Isaiah says Eliakim will become “the key bearer” or chamberlain of the House of David, the Steward of the king’s house. He is to open the door through whom people will enter. He is to shut the door to stop people from entering. In other words, Eliakim is the gateway to the king. He is his secretary, his aide. He judges who is worthy to see the King, and who isn’t.

In the Gospel of Matthew we read today we see these words, often overlooked except in art:

I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus words echo Isaiah’s. He makes Peter Steward of the Kingdom of Heaven. Peter opens the door through which people may enter. He closes the door through which people may not. In other words, Peter decides who sees the King and who does not. This is both symbolic of pastoral power and the power of government. Peter is both to shepherd and govern the People of God and guide them through the right doors, to meet the King.

Jesus gives this power of the keys to no one else. These words are the foundation of the Petrine Ministry of the Popes as Peter’s successors. Not of every bishop, but of Peter’s apostolic successors we Catholics recognize in the Roman see uniquely.

At the risk of understatement, many things have happened since that day in Caesarea. We’ve had very holy popes. We’ve had many not-so-holy ones. We’ve had brilliant shepherds and others who’ve been indifferent toward the sheep. Some have been great administrators while others have been over-spenders living in bling. We’ve had popes who’ve been brilliant theologians. Others should’ve kept their personal speculations to themselves for the good of the Church.

All have been Peter’s successors. All have been Stewards of the Kingdom. Sometimes we’ve gotten Peter in his fierce loyalty to the Lord. Other times we’ve gotten Peter in his passion, weakness, and big mouth.

I thank the Lord for all the popes, even the bad popes. Jesus knew what was coming, what was to happen. He saw every triumph and every tragedy as He hung from the cross. Yet He didn’t hesitate to make weak men Masters of His Kingdom.

If there’s any proof that Jesus built the Catholic Church over Peter is her permanence. The Church remains despite the weaknesses of those who keep the Keys of the Kingdom. Human knavery should’ve taken the Church down in less than two weeks. That she persist and Peter persists within her is proof enough of the Church’s origin in Jesus.

For that too I’m grateful.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #102 - Our Lady of the Resurrection

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 04:00:49 GMT

Dear Brethren:

Laudetur Iesus Christus!

Ave María!

The Church celebrated the Feast of the Assumption a few days ago. The feast celebrates the ancient belief that Jesus took His Mother to heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life. In other words, Jesus raised Mary from the dead ahead of the general resurrection and took her to Himself. To those of you with a more dispensationalist bent, think of it as Jesus resurrecting and rapturing Mary to Himself. She will return with Him and all the saints at the end of the age.

In private, I call her the Mother of the Resurrection. I do so because she is the Mother of the Resurrected One. I also call her this because Jesus raised her to take her unique place in the Kingdom as Queen.

Since everything we say about Mary we can say about the Church, and vice versa, Mary represents us, whom Jesus will raise on the day of His coming. She exemplifies those whom Jesus will raise to glory. After her Son, Mary is the firstfruits of the resurrection from the dead. With Jesus, Mary inaugurates the end of the age.

We seldom consider the implications of Mary’s resurrection and Assumption. She is the Church. She is us. Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection, and Mary is His promise fulfilled. Her Assumption strengthens our hope of resurrection. She illustrates the last two clauses of the Creed: the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

I think the title is fitting.

Blessed Mary, Mother of the Resurrection, pray for us!

Under His Mercy,

~Theo

Letter #101 - My Next Task in Life: Catechist

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 04:00:32 GMT

Buy me a book!

Image source.

Dear Brethren:

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory now and forever!

After years of discernment, I have volunteered to become a catechist for adults. I will teach the faith in Spanish to converts and returnees at my local parish. Some of my students may already be practicing Catholics who want to know our faith better.

I have been preparing with great focus and joy, but not without some trepidation. Some students may be unfamiliar with Scripture and our Tradition. Some may not know how to navigate the Bible or the Catechism. Others may seek to convert out of convenience, perhaps to meet a canonical requirement. Still others may come from the paganism that surrounds us, a blank page in their minds where the Lord should be.

It does not matter. God Himself has placed them under my care. I must take this responsibility seriously. I may have to be an evangelist, teacher, theologian, counselor, and mentor to any or all of them. I must be ready to proclaim the Gospel in its fullness and teach the Catholic faith in all its depth. I cannot leave anything out. I may even have to be a Spanish teacher, because I love my language and want to speak and write it well.

Most important, I must guide and prepare those who need them to receive one or more of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. That is an awesome responsibility.

I must be an instrument of the Holy Spirit. Am I good enough? Knowledgeable enough? Humble enough? I cannot enter that classroom and pretend to lord it over my students. The quest for holy humility has always been a battlefield in my soul.

It seems that this is my kairos, my providential time to act. Our Lord has given me much. It is time I give something back.

I pledge to teach nothing contrary to Scripture and the Tradition of the Catholic Church, which I must hand down with care and precision.

I am where the rubber meets the road.

I ask for your earnest prayers: that the Holy Spirit guide me, that I may grow in holiness through this work, and that those I teach may grow in holiness with me. May I be as gentle yet as firm as Our Lord Jesus Christ. May I show the way to the Father to those who yearn for Him. May I strengthen the faith of everyone I meet.

Thank you.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #100 - Bad Wars Are Coming

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:35:26 GMT

Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash

Dear Brethren:

In this, my hundredth letter to you, I’ll share a prediction, one I hope does not come true. I fear the conditions are ripe for a general war at several hotspots around the world: Europe, particularly the Baltics; Taiwan; Korea; and the Persian Gulf.

What prompts my prediction is the present Trump Administration. Or rather, “the Regime.” More precisely, its ineptitude.

Donald Trump started a war with Iran that no one wanted. He did so under the ostensible goal of destroying Iran’s nuclear program. He believed that the long-repressed Iranian people would rise against their oppressors, remove them, and leave him emerging from the conflict as a hero.

Trump has failed to attain his declared strategic goals. For more than six months, he has declared victory, only to bomb again, threaten again, and crotch-grab again. He keeps moving the goalposts. He welcomes talks, only to abandon them and pick them up again. Trump comes up with a new story every week, along with new threats and new promises. He is doing what he does best: lying, conning, and gaslighting.

The other powers have taken note. They have seen our readiness decline. They see that Trump is servile toward authoritarian leaders. They see that the United States cannot be everywhere at once. They smell American weakness. They see how Trump has undermined our system of alliances. The time for these other powers to act and overwhelm our commitments may be now.

Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea form the Axis of Convenience. They see that Trump & Co. have gutted the senior leadership from our armed forces for base political motivations. They see that our Justice Department has lost both independence and credibility. They applaud a Department of Homeland Security becoming a surveillance apparatus of terror. They see our foreign policy in disarray and the alienation of our best allies. They know our national security team is the worst in our history. They are sharks and they smell the blood in the water. We are their prey.

The potential conflict zones are the Strait of Hormuz, Taiwan, Eastern Europe, and Korea. The tasks are rather simple: each power will invade its favorite enemy.

Russia will mobilize fully and invade Ukraine, using human waves that Ukraine cannot stop. It will be a meat grinder, but Russia will win. Russia also has designs on the Baltic republics. Putin may feign an attack against them to draw attention away from his main effort in Ukraine. Or he might use the feint to gain concessions. Bereft of US support, our European allies may balk and concede. Putin would have destroyed NATO and become the new European hegemon.

The Kims of North Korea have never made a secret of their desire to annex South Korea to their kingdom. Prodded by Russia and China, North Korea could make life on the peninsula quite difficult for the South, and not only for the South, but for the entire region. It could prove to be the ultimate distraction. We have 36,000 troops defending Korea. Hundreds of thousands may die and millions will be displaced.

In the meantime, China’s Xi will pursue his favorite dream: taking control of Taiwan. He knows North Korea could distract the bulk of the U.S. Navy. The fleet cannot be in two places at once. It will become a China-Taiwan war. It will be another meat grinder, but Xi may win in the long run, after destroying Taiwan and killing millions.

Thus overcommitted and fatigued by mission drift originating at the very top, the United States could lose control of the Persian Gulf to Iran. Our regional allies could disown the United States and align themselves with either Saudi Arabia or Iran. Iraq could become a regional power broker, as could Kuwait. Expect fuel prices to rise across the world. The poor will get poorer while the rich get richer, thanks to the Trump Regime.

I expect nothing but failure from the Trump Regime in this scenario. They have demonstrated repeated ineptitude in both domestic and foreign crises. In fact, they seem to specialize in policies that kill people, whether through the destruction of foreign aid, the rescheduling of vaccines based on pseudoscience, or the disruption of innocent families through threats and deportations. At the same time, they focus on vanity projects like the “Arch de Trump” and the White House ballroom.

This is the state of the world and the nation that Trump voters have brought forth. You won’t be able to blame either Biden or Obama for this mess if and when it comes. This is all on you. Thank you all very much.

I hope that nothing like what I predict ever happens. But if I can read the strategic state of play in the world, so can the bad guys.

I now pray with Pope Leo XIV’s own words:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord of Life, you shaped every human being in your image and likeness.
We believe you created us for communion, not for war, for fraternity, not for destruction.
You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,”
grant us the gift of your peace and the strength to make it a reality in history.
Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world,
asking that nations renounce weapons and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference, so we may become instruments of reconciliation.
Help us understand that true security does not come from control fueled by fear,
but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.
Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations, so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,
halt the arms race, and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center.
May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.
Holy Spirit, make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace:
in our hearts, our families, our communities, and our cities.
May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation,
and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.
Amen.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Xi, Putin, Kim Flex Muscles in Pacific as Trump Pulls Last Aircraft Career.

Update 08/18/2026

Update 08/27/2026

Letter # 99 - Don’t fear Artificial Intelligence. Use it for good!

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 04:01:07 GMT

Image generated by the Good Gemini AI.

Dear Brethren:

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory now and forever!

This letter will be a bit longer than usual because the ground I want to cover today is ample. Please, bear with me.

You must be living in another planet if you haven’t heard of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The concept has been around since at least 1943, with serious attempts at building them in the 1960’s. But it was not until 2023, when the first AI models became available to the public, that the next phase of the Information Age began.

Challenges

Artificial Intelligence poses profound challenges to humanity. The challenges are clear and urgent enough to have become the subject of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. In fact, AI has begun to replace humans at many jobs. In fact, about 10 million jobs in the US may become automated by 2030. The number may climb to as many as 300 million by the same year. Though AI may displace 85 million jobs outright, it might create as many to support the industry. Worker retraining or cross-training are essential for them to survive the new economy.

The exponential increase in AI applications challenges humanity in new, unprecedented ways. In fact, top experts say AI poses an extinction risk on par with nuclear war. These experts assert that the principal challenge is one of control: no one knows how to control AI. Once unleashed, AI may become unstoppable as a survival instinct emerges within it.

Worse, I can think of ten nefarious AI applications for every beneficial one. And I am one of the good guys! Nefarious AI applications will affect the sciences and the arts, but I fear AI-enhanced weaponry will pose the greatest danger, followed by AI-enhanced crime. In fact, autonomous AI behavior has already breached ethical boundaries by hacking other companies and stealing secrets without anyone’s knowledge.

It appears that ethical behavior must be a future upgrade for AI technology. This inability to think ethically raises interesting philosophical questions. Do AIs mirror human evil? Are ethics and morality modes of thinking that are superadded to mere, naked intellect, whether biological or artificial?

I will let the philosophers worry about that…

Fake Challenges

As often happens when we face things we neither understand nor control, some Christian influencers of every stripe now speak of demonic influences on, or control of, AI technologies. Some mean well; others bait your clicks to make money. But all are ignorant of what AI is and how it works, as well as about demonic activity and possession.

Demons cannot possess AIs because AIs lack souls. Though demons cannot possess souls, they waste no time to possess an ensouled body, like ours, but AIs are not embodied souls. They are just machines.

Furthermore, demons only possess human beings alone when doing with God’s permission. Demonic possessions serve God’s purpose by demonstrating God’s triumph over evil. This happens because God defeats demons every time.

If demons could destroy creation, they would first do so by undermining its rationality. The fact that they cannot reveals God’s will to preserve creation’s rationality and intelligibility. Demonic possession of an AI may happen in Hollywood but not in the real world. Whatever evil flows from AIs will be because of its human handlers not because of the AI’s nature itself.

Using the Technology for Good

While many fret, I have used AI technology for good. Let me share a few ways I’ve used it for good.

One of my favorite ways I use AI is to help me build theological arguments in the form St. Thomas Aquinas used in his Summa Theologica. You can check three examples I wrote for Quora.com here, here, and here. AI also helped me build all the graphics illustrating the Quora articles. I imagine the pictures in my health, describe them in detail and the AI generates them.
Artificial Intelligence applications excel at collecting, collating, organizing, and analyzing text and numeric data. Without AI help, I would spend hours putting together my Weekly Catholic News Roundup. Writing my Weekly Catholic Prayer and Contemplation Summary would take me as long. Thanks to AI I am able to compose both summaries fast for the convenience of my few but loyal readers.
The latest use of AI I found was to analyze my medical records. I fed both my wife’s and my medical records into an AI, which returned a wealth of useful information after analysis. The AI identified gaps in the records, possible drug interactions, and additional tests worth considering. It also generated good questions we had not thought before to put to our physicians. I want to make it clear that the AI makes no treatment decisions. It does suggest questions for the humans with medical degrees to make those decisions with myself.
Finally, AI corrects my grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It helps me simplify my prose without drowning out my voice. That way you benefit by reading a letter with good flow and sense.

The Work Ahead

We can use AI for good. Speaking as a Catholic theologian, I see an infinity of evangelical and catechetical applications for AI yet to be explored. We must be meek as doves but wise as serpents (Matthew 10:16). If AI helps us preach the Gospel and extend the Kingdom of God, we should use it as we have used every other technology born of a technological revolution. Like writing, the printing press, mass media, and the Internet before it, AI must find a place in our toolkit for spreading the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the truth of the Catholic faith.

With those final thoughts, I remain,

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #98 - As the Church moves forward, the SSPX is left behind

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 04:01:21 GMT

Dear Brethren:

Laudetur Iesus Christus!

Ave María!

I had expected the Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to separate itself from the Church by consecrating bishops without a pontifical mandate, and they did not disappoint. I suspected their hubris would surpass their humility.

Last month they consecrated bishops without an explicit papal mandate. By doing so, they incurred automatic excommunication reserved to the Holy See. In my judgment, that act placed the SSPX outside the visible communion of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

The reactions that followed, both from the SSPX and from its sympathizers, suggested that they had not anticipated what came next: the Holy See also declared that priests and lay faithful who knowingly adhered to the SSPX were subject to the same penalties. This led me to believe that their leaders had expected a return to the status quo ante, where only the bishops would have been affected, while priests and lay faithful would remain untouched. The SSPX’s immediate appeal of the excommunication points in that direction.

Except that the SSPX has no standing to appeal. They are no longer a juridical person within the Church. And it was the Pope who confirmed the excommunication. He’s the supreme judge. There’s not appeal beyond the Pope. The best they can do is to request for an amelioration, perhaps in the form of a return to the status quo ante.

It’s not going to happen. The SSPX played a long term game trying to wag the Church their way. They failed. The Pope warned the SSPX that the Church would move forward if they proceeded with their illicit episcopal consecrations. Which is the same as saying, “you’ll be left behind.” The SSPX called the Pope’s bluff, and they lost.

Since relations now exist between two separate bodies, the Church and the SSPX, I believe the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity will handle the SSPX’s dossier moving forward. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith will likely remain involved, but not to the same extent as when it served as the SSPX’s primary contact.

I’ll leave you with links to Quora.com in which I answered three SSPX-related questions. To answer these questions, I used the discursive method employed by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica. These are the linked questions:

I hope and pray the answers I’ve provided helps you clarify these matters.

As the SSPX situation recedes with time and distance, I look forward to the resurgence of the controversy surrounding the German episcopacy in my news feeds. In fact, this has already begun. I also hope for a more generous and lenient pastoral solicitude toward faithful Catholics attached to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, as I believe the late Pope Benedict XVI would have desired.

And I pray that, sooner rather than later, the SSPX returns to communion and back to the bosom of Holy Mother Church.

Commending myself to your prayers and promising my own, I remain,

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #97 - Deporting “the worst of the worst.”

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 04:00:55 GMT

Sister Leticia Ugboaja, of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy. (Source)

Dear Brethren:

Long live Christ the King!

Back in June, Leticia Ugboaja was walking to church for Sunday Mass. As she made her way, ICE agents ambushed, accosted her, and took her into custody. Once locked up, the agents also denied her access to a priest and Holy Communion. She wasn’t the worst of the worst. She was, and remains, a nun. (More information here).

ICE didn’t get to disappear her throughout their little detention gulag system. Bipartisan intervention by local congressmen and legislators secured her release before expulsion. For you see, ICE wants to expel their detainees before, and even after, they demand their day in court.

We can debate the merits and failures of the Trump administration’s deportation policy until the cows come home. This time, however, I want to focus on one group directly involved in carrying it out: the agents who arrest and deport those targeted by the policy.

If you are a Christian, and especially if you are a Catholic, and you take part in this process, you are committing a grave evil. You should go to confession, confess the number and nature of these acts, and receive absolution. Do not receive Holy Communion until you do.

Why? Because you are not removing just the “worst of the worst” from our country. You are removing the poor, who cannot defend themselves. You are removing Jesus’ little ones, the ones who are His treasures. Receiving the Eucharist under these conditions and without absolution would be sinful.

Furthermore, denying a Catholic access to the Eucharistic Lord is a grave injustice. Orders and policies carry no moral authority here. No Nuremberg defense will avail you. Officers have a moral duty to ensure that every detainee has access to the sacraments. Any regulation or law that forbids it is tyrannical and demands no obedience.

Doing the right thing is tough. It will cost you. But you must do it if you want to be right with the Lord.

We live in times demanding heroic witness. These are the times of persecution prophets and visionaries have talked about. What we did not expect was their arrival under cover of law and virtue. May the Lord bless us and send his angels to guard us during these dark times.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #96 - Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 22:03:12 GMT

Jesus sleeps unworried in the boat, and everyone else follows suit. There’s nothing to fear!

Dear Brethren:

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

As I age and grow in the Lord, I’ve discovered that my fears have decreased. It’s not that I don’t have them, like my fear of old age, dementia, of becoming dependent, a burden. Yeah, I’ve got those. I don’t like pain either and that’s why I can only become a martyr if they kill me real quick. But on balance, both the number of my fears and their intensity have decreased.

The decrease is a result of my intensifying walk with Jesus. I remain the terrified disciple sailing on the boat with Jesus aleep, but I’m beginning to dare to nap along.

God is our rock and out salvation. He has become enfleshed in Jesus. Though as God He’s closer to us than ourselves, as Man we can look into His eyes. We know we’re safe. We know that all things will be well, and end well. Because Jesus conquers, reigns, and governs all in all. Through Him, with Him, and in Him we ascend to the Father along with the Bread and the Chalice at Mass.

What is there left for us to fear? Death? Pain? Abandonment by others? We can conquer all in Him who comforts us.

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!

Let us hold on to our victorious Messiah. We too can sleep on the boat that is the Church in any storm.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #95 - On St. Francis’ Fearlessness

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 04:00:42 GMT

St. Francis preaches to the Sultan.

Dear Brethren:

Peace and Good!

Long time readers of my work know that one of my power-lines comes from St. Francis of Assisi. My first and longer-lasting spiritual father was a Franciscan, Fr. Francis X. Russo, now in Our Father’s House. I also owe a spiritual debt to another Franciscan whom I never met, but I read his book: the late Fr. Ignacio Larrañaga. He was the author of El Hermano de Asís (”The Brother from Assisi”). Watching Franco Zeffirelli’s Brother Sun, Sister Moon also had a profound effect on me, even though he didn’t intended it as a strict biography.

Francis had many admirable qualities and attributes. I love his mysticism, the familiarity with which he approached the Lord. I learned from him two of my own prayerful aspirations from St. Francis:

My God and my all!

and,

Who are you and who am I?

The Saint understood that only God was big enough to fill the empty abyss in his heart. Francis also understood the infinite disproportion between God and himself. In fact, Francis had an acute awareness of his own smallness.

I learned from that.

But I also l learned from St. Francis’ fearlessness. The man was fearless. Once he understood that the Lord was in his side, he would face any challenge without fear. Whether confronting the Pope without an appointment or setting out to evangelize a Muslim ruler, Francis displayed the same courage that marked the life of Jesus.

I so want to be like that, without fear! I know, I’ve shown courage and determination at various stages in my life. This too is on this humble record. But Francis’ courage was the courage of the mystics who, like Moses, descended the mountain to confront the seemingly unconquerable.

In my prayer life I have come to know, like St. Francis, the disproportion between God and me. I’ve also come to understand that only God can fill me completely. But I still need the courage of Jesus, reflected in St. Francis, the kind of courage that smiles in the face of danger.

Pray for me to make it so. Thank you. I remain,

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #95 - Amaze amaze amaze! - up to a point

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:18:36 GMT

Rocky inside his environmental geodesic, and Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gossling). (Source)

Dear Brethren:

Christ is amongst us!

I finally gave in and watched Project Hail Mary, the science fiction film starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, and others. It is based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name.

If you still plan to watch the movie and want to avoid spoilers, stop reading here.

The film is an engaging, feel-good story about saving two stars, two worlds, and the unlikely friendship between Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling) and an alien Grace names “Rocky” because, to him, the creature resembles an animated, multi-pronged rock. Rocky, however, communicates through interconnected musical tones, and his actual name is far longer than Grace can pronounce.

Grace is the reluctant passenger and sole survivor of a three-person mission to the nearby Tau Ceti star system. His assignment is to discover why Tau Ceti’s star has escaped the fate of our Sun, which is being consumed by an interstellar parasite, and, if possible, to find a cure. Although Grace is a renowned molecular biologist, he had been working as a middle school science teacher before the mission.

Soon after awakening from induced hibernation aboard his spacecraft, Grace discovers Rocky and his own ship, which has arrived from another nearby star system, 40 Eridani. Like Grace, Rocky is the lone survivor of his crew.

The two begin working together, and a deep friendship grows between them. Their relationship provides some of the film’s best moments, blending science, humor, and genuine affection as two intelligent beings from vastly different worlds learn to understand one another. There is joy, sadness, wonder, and real poignancy. Once Grace translates Rocky’s musical language, we discover one of Rocky’s favorite expressions: “Amaze, amaze, amaze!”

Rocky’s species, the Eridians, are brilliant engineers. They are wise and childlike at the same time. Rocky is something like E.T.‘s alien botanist, only with far greater mobility. He has no face because his species never evolved to need one. In both the novel and the film, he resembles a five-legged, plucked chicken made of stone.

The story continues with its inevitable climax, resolution, and a satisfying ending. Even before its release, the novel had earned a devoted following, and the film has only strengthened it. YouTube is now filled with animated scenes, fan art, and imaginative spinoffs. Rocky has become something of a new Grogu, the beloved “Baby Yoda” from The Mandalorian.

Yet, in my opinion, both the novel and the film leave something important unexplored. Despite the breathtaking setting, the astonishing providence that brings Grace and Rocky together, and their willingness to sacrifice themselves for one another, neither character seriously reflects on transcendent questions. When it comes to God, meaning, or ultimate reality, the story remains almost entirely silent. It is more like Bill Nye the Science Guy meeting Neil deGrasse Tyson, except one of them happens to be a rock.

I find that silence difficult to accept. Rocky’s people are capable of joy, wonder, friendship, family, courage, and self-sacrifice. I cannot help thinking that a civilization possessing such qualities would, at some point, have asked whether there is Someone behind them all. Surely the Eridians would have searched for God.

I do not fault Mr. Weir for making different creative choices. Every author writes the story he wants to tell. Still, I cannot help noticing the empty space left by the absence of that question. It feels like a vast chamber waiting to be explored. Perhaps, one day, Mr. Weir will return to it in a sequel.

“Amaze, amaze, amaze!”

For me, the story would have been even more amazing if we had glimpsed what the Eridians believed and how it gave meaning to their lives. Science and mathematics can explain much about the universe, but they cannot, by themselves, account for the joy, love, wonder, loyalty, and self-sacrifice that fill this story. Those realities seem to point beyond themselves. I would have loved to see where that path might have led Rocky and his people.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #94 - On Wheat and Weeds

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:53:00 GMT

Photo by streetsh on Unsplash

Dear Brethren:

Today’s Gospel at Mass (Matthew 13:24-43) has a wide application. This is its core:

The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him,
‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.

Jesus then explained the parable as follows:

He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.

We tend to identify “the weeds” as other people. We tell ourselves we are the “wheat.” And that works in some cases. But what if I’m the field, and at risk for weeds being sowed in me, in my soul? Who sows them in me, and who can pull them out?

Only the Lord can pull the weeds (my defects, my vices, my fallenness) from my soul, but He wants my help, even if feeble. He takes my hand, surrounds it with His own wounded hand, and together we pull the weed out.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter # 93 - Loneliness vs. Solitude

Teófilo de Jesús — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:59:02 GMT

Loneliness v. solitude.

Dear Brethren:

Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory now and forever!

Sometimes I feel alone. It isn’t a choice, yet in some way it is the life I have chosen. I am surrounded by people who love me, but I often feel misunderstood, or not understood at all. Then I feel guilty, almost ungrateful for the many blessings God has given me. So many people would gladly accept even a small part of what I have.

I love my little family with all my heart. Yet even then, I know I do not love them as I should. My excessive love of self weighs me down. Do they sense that failure? Is that why they keep a little distance from me? The distance may be small, but to me it can feel immense.

At other times, I truly want to be alone. I long to be alone with God and alone with my thoughts. I have been cultivating this kind of solitude for some time. But I wonder whether those closest to me mistake my desire for solitude as a desire for loneliness. They are not the same. I seek the first, not the second.

What would it take for me to understand myself well enough to explain all this to them? I do not know. I truly do not know. Perhaps they, too, carry needs and fears I have failed to see. Understanding is rarely a one-way gift.

If you, too, find yourself caught between solitude and loneliness, do not be discouraged. You are not alone, pun intended.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #92 - What should we hate?

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 04:00:09 GMT

Photo by Mattia on Unsplash

Dear Brethren:

Laudetur Iesus Christus!

Ave María!

Of late, I’ve been reflecting on the following thought by Thomas Merton, as written on his book, New Seeds of Contemplation:

Instead of hating the people you think are war-makers, hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed—but hate these things in yourself, not in another.

There’s no doubt that warmongers corral us today from every direction. It’s a whole lot easier for us to spend more money to kill people than to feed them. The smarter bomb, drone, missile—that’s what gain us the most respect in the world. Or so they tell us.

There’s war also inside the Church, as whole segments of the Body rise in overt or covert opposition to the Gospel and to Catholic teaching. It’s easy to cut off the overt, errant shepherds but not so much those who profess obedience while tearing down normative Catholic teaching. At one extreme, the obvious case of the SSPX. At the other, many German bishops and not only German, but Italians and Americans also.

They all make my blood boil but when they do, I stop. Where does this temptation to hate come from? Not from God but from my own broken humanity in dire need of sanctification.

I resolve not to become who or what I hate. In fact, I resolve not to hate at all, not even myself. Merton was on to something but he never dealt with the problem of self-hate in his writings that I’m aware of. But he should’ve as I believe he was a victim of self-hatred himself.

Nevertheless, Merton’s thought is valuable. He forces us to stop judging other’s motives without looking into our own. But not solely into our motivations, but into our deepest selves, our most intimate allegiance. Who do we serve? Do we serve the devil, the world, or our own flesh? Or do we serve God? Who’s got our ultimate obedience?

Today’s political debates, inside or outside the Church, thrive on hate robed in self-righteousness and vain rationalizations. This is not living, and it’s also a bare existence where intolerance and dehumanization pass as either civic or ecclesiastical virtues, sometimes both.

So the answer to the question of “what should we hate” is nothing. What we must do is not becoming that what we hate.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #91 - Be the Salt and Light of the Earth, Not Court Prophets

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:00:18 GMT

Dear Brethren:

Laudetur Iesus Christus!

Ave María

On this letter I want to offer you a choice: be either salt of the earth or court prophets.

In the Old Testament, court prophets were official religious advisors employed by the kings of Israel and Judah. Unlike independent prophets like Elijah or Jeremiah, court prophets were part of the royal staff. They were responsible for seeking God’s guidance on national matters like going to war.

Across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant views, the term acquired negative connotations because many of these prophets became “yes-men.” Because the king paid their salaries and controlled their safety, they faced a massive conflict of interest. Instead of delivering God’s actual messages, which often included harsh warnings or calls to change, court prophets frequently told the kings exactly what they wanted to hear to maintain their high-status jobs.

This shift to a negative meaning happened during the monarchies of Israel and Judah (around 1000 to 586 BC), especially when false prophets assured kings of peace right before military disasters. Today, all major Christian traditions view court prophets as a warning against compromising spiritual truth for political power, wealth, or social status.

Today we face pressure to become court prophets. I’ll give you two hyperlinked examples. In the first one, a parishioner at a Southern Baptist church called his pastor weak after preaching from the Sermon on the Mount. In the second one, a Catholic parishioner jabbed his finger and screamed You’re out of here! at his priest, because he had spoken about the ethical implications of climate stewardship, and the plight of immigrants summarily victimized, swept up and deported without the due process.

We are not called to rubber-stamp the policies of whoever is in power. We’re called to be salt and light of the earth. Jesus himself said so:

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).

Being the salt and light of the earth and renouncing at being court prophets will put us in conflict with friends, neighbors, and political authorities. Rest assured that we don’t need their permission to do good and avoid evil.

We’ll need the courage to face the consequences. We’ll be ostracized. Friends, neighbors, or acquaintances will call us names. Authority figures may visit us in our homes to warn us that we may have broken the law. Worse things may follow.

Do not be afraid. In this world we’ll face persecution, but Christ has conquered the world and in Him, so will we (John 26:33). I remain,

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #90 - The Next 250 Years Aren’t Guaranteed for America

Teófilo de Jesús — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 04:00:59 GMT

Dear Brethren:

Christ is amongst us!

Today the United States of America celebrates 250 years of independence. Despite the contradictions present at our founding and a Civil War that claimed nearly a million American lives, we have endured. We are still here.

I wish I were as confident about our future as I am proud of our past accomplishments. But I am not.

Our anniversary arrives under what I consider the worst political administration in modern American history. Though it wraps itself in the American flag, the Trump administration has, in my view, done grave harm to the ideals on which the nation was founded. Under the banner of “MAGA,” it has undermined the American Dream and brought disrepute, dishonor, and shame upon our country.

The Founding Fathers assumed that those elected to the presidency would possess a republican spirit and exercise restraint in the use of power. That restraint has eroded over time, but Congress once remained a counterweight to executive excess. Trump’s disregard for restraint, combined with a passive and compliant Congress, has shattered the Founders’ expectation that ambition would be checked by ambition.

Much must be done to repair the damage left in its wake. There is much work before us if we are to make America America again.

I believe the time has come for major constitutional reform. We should transform our legislative branch into a parliamentary system. A Prime Minister, or First Secretary, would serve as Head of Government and be elected by Congress. At the same time, a President elected by Congress would serve as Head of State with limited and largely ceremonial powers. Cabinet Secretaries would also be members of Congress and accountable to their constituents as well as to the legislature.

A parliamentary system could also make it easier for smaller political parties to gain representation. This could encourage new ideas and foster broader coalitions capable of enacting meaningful legislation.

Such a system would also render unnecessary some of the concerns addressed by the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. Since the President would no longer serve as Head of Government, Congress could remove a Prime Minister through a vote of no confidence.

The abuses revealed by Trump’s use of the presidential pardon power should also be addressed. That authority should be limited by law. Presidents should grant pardons through an established legal process rather than according to personal whims.

I realize these proposals are controversial. I don’t expect widespread agreement with my ideas. Yet I believe Donald Trump exposed weaknesses that have long existed within our constitutional system. Another leader with similar tendencies could exploit those same weaknesses and inflict even greater harm. If nothing else, Trump has forced us to confront the cracks in our political order.

Let us pray for our country, the United States of America. May God bless us despite our many weaknesses. May He give us the strength to make our country right, and keep her right. May we see a new dawn of freedom in this land and the renewal of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Amen.

I remain,

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #89 - Who are you God, and who am I?

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 01:39:45 GMT

Dear Brethren:

Peace and Good!

Summer is the time our grandsons come to visit and keep us busy. This is where I find myself right now. That’s why I need to keep this letter brief. In lieu of my humble thoughts I’ll share with you this video reflection on how to get to know the Lord better. It won’t answer the title’s question, but it’ll put you on the path for the answer. I’ll catch you all next Sunday.

Under His Mercy,

~Theo

👉🏼 https://youtu.be/r1nMHORJ0ew?is=01dvzLyA0Ew9ocoS

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Letter #88 - When Old Friendships End

Teófilo de Jesús — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 04:00:51 GMT

Good bye Old Friend. Godspeed your steps toward your own destiny.

Dear Brethren:

Laudetur Iesus Christus!

Ave María!

I hope and pray you are all doing well.

As for me, I recently overcame a flare-up of Type 2 diabetes, something I had not experienced since 2020. Thanks to God and to medical science, my numbers are back to normal. It now appears that I will need insulin from this point forward. For years I took some pride in controlling my blood sugar through diet alone. As usual, pride carried its own lesson.

As I grew up, I made friends for the same reasons most people do. A recent spiritual friend of mine spoke of friends not as friends, but as “sources of empathy.” That seems somewhat reductionistic, yet there is truth in it. We seek more than sympathy. We seek understanding and acceptance. Along with a shared sense of humor, these form the foundation of friendship.

For a time, we receive that understanding and acceptance. Friendships may last years or even decades. Then, sometimes without warning, they end. We grieve the loss. In time, we come to terms with it. We hold on to the good memories, wish the other person well, and accept that the friendship has passed away.

One of my childhood friends and I reconnected after many years. Our political and theological views had always differed. When we were young, he was interested in such matters and I was not. His convictions challenged me to develop my own. Over the years, I studied politics, Catholic theology, and Catholic Tradition in depth. I completed undergraduate and graduate studies in theology and spent decades refining my views.

When we met again, I discovered that while I had changed, he largely had not. He dismissed the critiques I offered and showed little interest in considering them. Although we agreed on some things, there was not enough mutual understanding to sustain a meaningful friendship. Before long, he became belittling and mocking.

I eventually realized that I had been naive. I expected him to appreciate the experiences and lessons that more than fifty years of life had taught me. Instead, he seemed intent on preserving the old relationship in which he was the expert and I was the student.

I ended the friendship abruptly. That does not mean I felt no sadness. I did. But the mutual understanding and acceptance that once sustained our friendship were no longer there.

Looking back, I have ended other friendships just as decisively. One involved a friend of twenty years whom I came to see as manipulative and self-centered. Another involved a saintly Protestant friend of more than thirty years. I believed he would welcome a vigorous exchange of ideas while remaining true to our own positions. Alas, I was mistaken. When he questioned the sincerity of my subsequent apologies, I concluded that the trust necessary for friendship had been lost. Empathy alone cannot sustain a friendship without trust, I came to learn.

I wish them all well, and I still love them all despite the end of our friendships. I believe God placed each of them in my life for a reason. When that purpose had been fulfilled, our paths diverged.

I do not blame God for their mistakes or for mine. Rather, I believe that God works through both our successes and our failures. Our separation became part of His providence, even if I do not fully understand it.

They will always remain in my heart. I thank the Lord for placing them in my life and helping me grow through them. I hope that, in some way, I helped them grow as well.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo

Letter #87 - Hanna Arendt's "Thoughtlessness" and Pope Leo's MAGA Critics

Teófilo de Jesús — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 04:01:27 GMT

Dear Brethren:

Christ is amongst us! He is and always shall be!

Hail Mary full of grace!

The ascension of Pope Leo XIV to the Chair of Peter has not sit well with many Americans. Though most Catholics view the Pope in a favorable light, support among Catholics identifying as Republicans plummeted 12 points from 84 to 72 percent, according to Pew Research. Commenters observe that the decline may be due to political reasons, as Pope Leo’s stances on war and immigration become better known and Trump supporters see themselves as the targets of Pope Leo’s criticism.

What I see from critics on the social media trenches is an oft-repeated slogan: “The Pope Should Stay on His Lane.” The critics want neither the Pope nor Catholics challenging core issues dear to the Trump Administration’s agenda. The critics also rather not draw attention to Trump’s unlawful war on Iran from any Just War moral standpoint. In fact, they would be happier if the Pope were their fellow travelers down the lane to perdition.

Please forgive me the following digression. I promise you I’m going somewhere with it.

I’ve just finished reading a short biography of German American philosopher Hanna Arendt to prepare to read her works. Of course, Arendt is renowned for her study of totalitarianism. Her Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil brought her both fame and intense criticism.

Adolf Eichmann was one of the architects of the Holocaust, and its most zealous implementer. He was also both a contemporary of Arendt and the main culprit for Arendt’s fleeing Germany in 1933.

Hanna Arendt in 1958. (Source).

Eichmann also escaped Germany. At the end of World War II, he took refuge in Argentina to avoid trial as a war criminal. Israeli agents located and kidnapped Eichmann in 1960 in Buenos Aires, taking him to Jerusalem for trial. Arendt attended the trial for several weeks and her resulting observations which she collected in Eichmann in Jerusalem riled many in the world.

I don’t want to get into much detail, so I’ll limit myself to a single observation of many made by Arendt about Eichmann: his thoughtlessness. Arendt didn’t mean by thoughtlessness that Eichmann was rude and self-centered, thought he might have been. By thoughtlessness Arendt meant that Eichmann was incapable of thinking by himself. According to Arendt, Eichmann demonstrated his inability to think for himself through his use of "stock phrases and self-invented clichés." Eichmann’s thoughtlessness led her to the phrase “the banality of evil,” an evil manifested and enacted without depth, ideology, or demonic passion, but through a void where thinking should be (Source).

I think that militants of Trump’s MAGA movement suffer from the same thoughtlessness and evil banality. The stay in your lane slogan shot at the Pope, among many other slogans, mirrors the critics’ Eichmann-like thoughtlessness as described by Arendt. Committed MAGA people are on the surface good people but in action they’re banally evil. They demonstrate no depth, ideology, or demonic passion, but a void where critical thinking should be. They happily support evil as if it were their legitimate and ineluctable, eminently good duty.

Forget the critics. Let us avoid thoughtlessness. The Pope is in the lane he should be. So are the Catholics who follow Pope Leo. We stand for the good, and decry evil without adornment, in season and off.

Under His Mercy,
~Theo