This Sunday we continue with John’s gospel and the “Bread of Life discourse.” We hear once more how Jesus sustains, uplifts and feeds us in ways that offer the promise of eternal life. “I am the bread of life,” he tells his followers. “I am the living bread come down from heaven.” It’s a message of reassurance and hope. But the readings this Sunday start out with a very different scene: we begin in the Book of Kings, in the desert,... Read more
Time magazine thinks so: At times during the first GOP debate on Thursday night, it was hard to tell who was talking: Pope Francis or Ohio Governor John Kasich. “We need to give everybody a chance, treat everybody with respect, and let them share in this great American dream that we have,” the second-term governor, an Anglican, said. “God gives me unconditional love. I’m going to give it to my family and my friends and the people around me.” Recent polling suggests... Read more
Recently this question popped up in a newspaper column by Rabbi Marc Gellman: Our children attended religious school and were bar and bat mitzvahed. Our son, now 30, has been dating a wonderful woman for two years and they’re contemplating marriage. She’s Catholic and wants her children to be baptized and confirmed. Our son wants his son to have a bris and his children to be bar or bat mitzvahed. Their discussions about religion usually end without resolution. At one... Read more
[getty src=”80443142?et=7UYs8ecLS9dSp6da14_sjw&viewMoreLink=on&sig=cAQvnrbSJQ3OTYN0ZTnFA2UkAf75S87Iw95Pa0WbOUk=” width=”594″ height=”400″] View image | gettyimages.com From The Washington Post: David Cahoon does what Jesus did, and Jesus’ earthly father before Him. He’s a carpenter, and like the Christian figure whose life he has sought to emulate, Cahoon embraces the task of transforming mundane pieces of wood into works of religious glory. His latest project calls for building a semi-permanent altar for Pope Francis’s visit to the United States next month. The altar — whose design was chosen... Read more
This Sunday we continue with John’s gospel and the “Bread of Life discourse.” We hear once more how Jesus sustains, uplifts and feeds us in ways that offer the promise of eternal life. “I am the bread of life,” he tells his followers. “I am the living bread come down from heaven.” It’s a message of reassurance and hope. But the readings this Sunday start out with a very different scene: we begin in the Book of Kings, in the desert,... Read more
Time magazine thinks so: At times during the first GOP debate on Thursday night, it was hard to tell who was talking: Pope Francis or Ohio Governor John Kasich. “We need to give everybody a chance, treat everybody with respect, and let them share in this great American dream that we have,” the second-term governor, an Anglican, said. “God gives me unconditional love. I’m going to give it to my family and my friends and the people around me.” Recent polling suggests... Read more
Details: When Pope Francis delivers his address at Independence Hall next month, he will stand behind a nondescript, lectern of dark walnut, largely unused since it was placed in a cemetery in Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863. There, President Abraham Lincoln gripped its softly curved sides and etched into the history books, “Four score and seven years ago…” Amid the hustle of big-picture logistics and intense plans for Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia Sept. 26 and 27 is the chest-high... Read more
After last night’s debate, I stumbled on this essay from Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, in The New York Times. From the earliest days of Starbucks, I’ve been captivated by the art of leadership. I was mentored over three decades by Warren G. Bennis, the eminent professor and scholar on leadership. I’ve gathered insights from peers, and I’ve drawn inspiration from our 300,000 employees. But nothing I’ve read or heard in the past few years has rivaled the power of the... Read more
Details: Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have abducted scores of people, including several Christian families, after seizing a strategically located town in the central Syrian province of Homs, an activist group has said. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Friday that at least 230 people had been kidnapped, including 60 Christians, some of whom were taken from a church in Qaryatain, which was captured overnight after heavy fighting with the... Read more
Details: When Pope Francis delivers his address at Independence Hall next month, he will stand behind a nondescript, lectern of dark walnut, largely unused since it was placed in a cemetery in Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863. There, President Abraham Lincoln gripped its softly curved sides and etched into the history books, “Four score and seven years ago…” Amid the hustle of big-picture logistics and intense plans for Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia Sept. 26 and 27 is the chest-high... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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