John Lee Wagas
Writer / Chaplain / Nerd
-
I’m not misspeaking when say that I’m leaving Catholicism, rather than saying I’ve already left it. Though I was confirmed in the Episcopal Church two years ago and joined my local congregation a year before that, this whole thing remains ongoing. I’m still leaving Catholicism. It’s been a movement from one thing to another; it’s…
-
This post is taken from the prepared text of the reflection I preached at my parish’s Good Friday Service. The video can be found here, and the scripture readings can be found here. When I was in middle school, one of my dad’s sisters came to visit us for a week. While I barely remember…
-
Eventually. Soon. God-willing. In the future. Someday. Puhon. I still wrestle this word, and I don’t think my struggle with it will ever cease. Not because of anything linguistic or cultural, but existential. What is it that I am hoping for? What will inevitably transpire and come to pass? Puhon finds its roots in my…
-
While walking around the Haight in San Francisco this evening, I felt like I needed to pray. Not merely that I wanted to, although that may be part of it, but something in me felt so moved to that it felt like a necessity at the moment. Whether that was the Spirit speaking or just…
-
I’ve always found it hard to forgive myself, especially when I know for sure that I’ve caused something that went awry. Yet it’s one thing to be hard on myself in the moment, but another to bear the cringe, guilt, and disappointment that lingers afterward. The feeling is beyond ick—it’s one that comes with a…
“When love chooses, it chooses with a perfect sensitivity for the unique beauty of the chosen one, and it chooses without making anyone else feel excluded.”
— Henri Nouwen, The Life of the Beloved
10th
May ’22
Philosophy & Religion
Truly God, Truly Man: An Application of the Yin-Yang and Hegelian Models to the Christological Theories of Chalcedon and Monophysitism
An examination of the Yin-yang and Hegelian dialectic models followed by an exploration of their relation to the contrasting Christological approaches of Chalcedon and Monophysitism from early patristic Christianity.
8th
Dec ’23
Religion & Theology
Radical, Ravishing, Holy Love: Eroticism, God, and Divine Love in Christian Mysticism
A contextualization of the erotic and sexual ethics in the broad Christian tradition paired with an examination of erotic spirituality in Christian mysticism through the medieval monastic figures Bernard of Clairvaux and Teresa of Avila.
7th
July ’23
Religion & Theology
Bridging Divinity & Humanity: Personhood in Eastern Orthodox Theology
Drawing from the works of numerous contemporary theologians in order to analyze Eastern Othrodoxy’s approach to personhood, particularly regarding the subjects of relationship, identity, and purpose.
2025
March 17
Earth & Altar
From the Shire to the Altar
In this article reflecting on the eucharist, .
Between the vibrant hardcover spines bearing the names of familiar authors and the thick binders of my teacher’s lesson plans lay an unassuming black paperback. Its title, The Hobbit, rendered in a humble typeface, seemed almost hidden amid the vivid hues of nearby books. I was in third grade then, entranced by stories of time travel and talking animals penned by Mary Pope Osborne and Lemony Snicket…: You’re Not Alone2023
October 26
Spartan Media Group
Faculty focus on human connection
This article from my time as an undergraduate at San Jose State University.
Religious studies senior John Wagas is currently enrolled in Zárate’s Middle Eastern Traditions asynchronous course. “For me, at the heart of it, is engaging in religious conversation in the first place,” Wagas said…: You’re Not Alone
John Lee Wagas 