“When we think of the end of time, with all of our sins, with our history, let us think of the banquet which will be freely offered us and let us lift up our heads. Do not give way to depression: Hope! Reality is ugly: there are many, many people, cities and people, so many people who are suffering; many wars, so much hatred, so much envy, so much spiritual worldliness and so much corruption. Yes, it’s true! All of... Read more
This caught my eye this morning in The Wall Street Journal, an intriguing glimpse at how one major retailer spent a year developing a deceptively simple “door buster” for tomorrow’s Black Friday sale: Before the lights had dimmed on Black Friday last year, executives at Kohl’s Corp. were already at work on the deal they would use to pull shoppers into their stores this time around: a $5 toaster. The department-store chain’s team had spent Thanksgiving scouring rivals’ print circulars... Read more
The popular Protestant preacher talks with CNS about faith, Mary, the saints and more in the video below—and shares his vision for how we can work together in common cause. Read more
I’ll be traveling today, but before I head out the door I wanted to leave you with this: my Thanksgiving homily from 2009. My heart is full of gratitude for all who find their way to these pages. Know that when I count my blessings, you are all among them. Happy Thanksgiving, one and all! ++ Most of us know the story. It was the autumn of 1621. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a rich harvest, the men, women and children who had... Read more
From Huffington Post: Following the grand jury’s decision not to indict Police Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown, thousands took to the streets in Ferguson, Missouri, and around the country to protest. As alternating scenes of peaceful demonstrations and those of violence, fire and looting were broadcast, Ferguson faith leaders repeatedly urged that the only way to move forward was to amplify the voices of peace. Many local clergy, who had called for non-violent resistance before the decision, called for justice afterward. Rev.... Read more
A reader sent this my way, with this explanation: Deacon Greg, Knowing your interest in all things deacon-ish, I thought I’d pass along a video showing scenes from the ordination of a new deacon in Christ the Savior Cathedral according to the rites of the Russian Orthodox Church by Patriarch Kirill. Take a look. It’s just beautiful. Read more
From The Catholic Review in Baltimore: A man fishing at the Loch Raven Reservoir in north Baltimore County some two decades ago was convinced he had snagged a big fish after his line hooked something substantial. After reeling in his haul, the angler had no fish. He had, however, caught something even more remarkable: a large Gothic monstrance used by Catholics to hold the Eucharist for worship. Unsure what the ornate object was, but thinking it looked “churchy,” the man... Read more
A friend of mine, Shana Buck, offers a personal perspective on this important issue over at The Font: When I read about the Holy Father addressing the needs of individuals with autism, I was elated. My husband and I have three children “in the spectrum” — a 23 year old daughter, Luci, with moderate Asperger’s; an 18 year old son, Austin, with what was once called pervasive developmental disorder, and 11 year-old Nicholas, with moderate autism. Our children are all individuals, with... Read more
Color me thrilled. N.B: this does not look like it’s going to be a turkey. And, continuing the holiday theme, you’ll see quite a few “Easter eggs” here, including a haunting interpretation of the iconic John Williams’ theme near the end. What’s not to love? Get your geek on and enjoy. Read more
All this religion stuff is just so gosh-darn hard. It is worth noting: no one is saying—at least, not yet— that the C of E is doing away with Sunday services. But the leadership is noting a trend—and, let’s face it, the C of E is nothing if not adaptable. We’ll see where this goes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if anyone right now is stepping up to remind the indifferent faithful why Sunday is different. Details: Sunday morning is an inconvenient time... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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