John Lee Wagas

  • There is a fine line between will and control. A person may will something to be, desiring that it ‘be the case’ or become reality, but that will is rarely paired with control. As much as I would like—or will—my sibling to not eat the last slice of pizza in the fridge, I cannot control…

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  • Leaving Catholicism

    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…

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  • 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…

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  • Revisiting ‘Puhon’

    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…

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  • 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…

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