Today’s Gospel is one of those passages we almost know too well. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”—we hear it and instantly recognize the script. It’s like the Jeopardy clue everyone gets right: “What are…

I’ve got a confession that tends to surprise people—especially the seminarians I work with as a spiritual director. Every so often, one of them comes back from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They’re glowing.…