Messages by Father Chet

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The Origin of Open Door

In December of 1968, Father Chet was pastor of Holy Comforter Parish in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was his practice to mail the parish bulletin and written reflections to a growing list of interested people. When he received a sizeable monetary gift to be used at his discretion, he formalized the operation and began in earnest to address a “variety of topics which might be of interest and of help in solving the problems, questions, and difficulties facing many of us today.”

This was the beginning of the Open Door publication. Over the next 40-plus years, Father Chet wrote about spiritual, theological, and psychological topics. Below are re-publications of his original messages.

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How to Encounter God: An Easter Message of Love

Father Chet, 1978 (republished April 16, 2023)

Since religion is primarily a loving encounter between God’s person and our person, there is an intimate connection between our capacity for natural, human love and our capacity for encounter with God. By grace, the person of God touches our inner self and fills us with God’s own life of love. Unless we have developed the natural powers for love within our soul, it is often impossible to enter into a full, loving union with God. Continue Reading

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Mercy, Trials, Amen: More on the Lord’s Prayer, Part III

Father Chet, 1977 (republished February 11, 2023)

We are to show the same mercy to others as we hope to receive from God. We must be willing to forgive others “seventy times seven!” – which means to never refuse to forgive. This is the forgiveness and mercy we expect from God as a matter of course. We promise God in the Lord’s Prayer that this will also be the kind of mercy we show our fellow human beings… Continue Reading

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