“I have not come into this world to make men better, but to make use of their weaknesses.” – Adolf Hitler I had often sensed it. Yes I have. But Martin Buber plainly and expertly put it into words. While reading Emery de Gaal’s brilliant theological/philosophical biography of Pope Benedict XVI, The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI: The Christocentric Shift, I came across the reference to Buber’s 1923 influential work, I and Thou. I had never heard of it... Read more
Supper at Emmaus by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Years ago, during my highbrow adolescent period reading books like The Scandal Annual or Man Suffocated By Potatoes, I came across an anecdote that has never left me. As the story goes, a Pittsburgh Steeler player was being interviewed after a devastating loss in a pivotal game. Approached by the journalist about his emotions in the wake of the defeat, the player smiled, looked him square in the eyes and said, “Jesus is... Read more
“At the mid-point of the path through life, I found Myself lost in a wood so dark, the way Ahead was blotted out.” – Dante Alighieri And so would begin one of the best known epic poems ever written, Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy. It had been years since I read extended excerpts assigned to us by Mrs. Holthaus in our 11th grade Humanities class. The poem is broken down into three sections, Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). Each section is further... Read more
Hi. My name is Tod Worner. And I am dying to read a book. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am reading an immense amount right now. And I have no shortage of extraordinary books in my library (cue aristocratic tweaking of waxed moustache tip). It’s just that, at this point in time, what I WANT to read and what I HAVE to read are two different things. You see, I am studying for my Internal Medicine Board Recertification Exam which is a once... Read more
Author’s Note: In honor of Patheos’ 5 Year Anniversary, I wanted to share my most popular post. In all honesty, there is no way I ever conceived that this essay would ever get the traffic it did. But I think I figured it out. It’s about the decent character of Peyton Manning. It’s about the discerning judgment of my wife. And it’s about me – the dorky husband who finally “got it”. I hope you enjoy it once again. ... Read more
Holy Week is over. And what a week it was (and always is). Time off from work and school, family reunions, Easter dinners, eggs and overfilled baskets make the week a short, merry respite from everyday life. But there comes a time when all the dust settles and we are asked to reckon with the immense spiritual odyssey our God crammed into this one short week. Rightly considered, Holy Week can never fail to leave me vertiginous as I proceed... Read more
“I plead with you – never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” – Pope John Paul II Solzhenitsyn. Havel. Bonhoeffer. Kolakowski. These names are forever lionized in the pantheon of noble dissidents. And rightfully so. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn catalogued the heinous abuses of the Soviet labor camp experience in his greatest work, The Gulag Archipelago. Vaclav Havel endured isolation and harassment as an outspoken playwright who penned the razor-sharp analysis... Read more
Years ago, I had a vision. No, it wasn’t a vision like St. Teresa’s ecstasy or St. Joan of Arc’s calling. I don’t presume to be a saint. But it was an unmistakably compelling image of Christ on Good Friday. And I just couldn’t shake it. It begins in the cool, sharp silence of space overlooking Earth. Noiseless. Peaceful. But deeply cold. In short order would begin the descent. As Earth’s outer atmosphere approaches, there is the faintest sound – the... Read more
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body.” – 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 Last Sunday morning, like so many others, my family... Read more
I have a story to tell you in the form of a play. But before we begin a play, you must meet its main character. It is the tale of an unlikely leader: a scrawny African-American boy raised by his single mother and grandparents in worlds as disparate as Hawaii and Indonesia. This boy would find himself on a voyage of self-discovery where he would find himself at Occidental College, Columbia University and Harvard Law School. After serving as community... Read more
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