Here’s an essay from late April 2015 that celebrates all things spring–flowers, trees, and mulch–with a parable and weird Jesus story to boot. Enjoy! A few days ago I walked out the front door of the Ruane Center for the Humanities and was struck by a distinctive scent wafting on the breeze. Somewhere on the olfactory spectrum between a pristine pine forest and an overpowering air freshener hanging on the rear-view mirror of a car, this scent had rotting organic... Read more
Today’s “golden oldie” was first posted here in early 2013, just a few months after I started this blog–so long ago that don’t remember writing it! The good news is that my response to reading it a couple of days ago was “Wow! That’s pretty good!” Enjoy! A recent edition of Harper’s Magazine includes a fascinating essay by physicist and novelist Alan Lightman entitled “Our Place in the Universe.” The point of the essay is to put us in our place,... Read more
The final meeting of my honors colloquium on Michel de Montaigne was last Thursday. It was a beautiful day, and I wasn’t surprised when my students wondered if we could have our final seminar in an alternative setting. I expected them to suggest that we move outside; I would have grudgingly agreed even though it is the peak of allergy season. But instead they wanted to meet at MacPhails, our on campus pub. All of the students are of legal... Read more
First, some big news! Yesterday I signed a contract for my book A Year of Faith and Philosophy: Exploring Spiritual Growth Through the Liturgical Cycle. It will be published by Church Publishing, the official publishing house for the Episcopal Church. They bit on the proposal in early February; after several fruitful exchanges with one of the editors, it is now under contract. In the publishing world (and in academia, for that matter), less than three months from proposal to contract is... Read more
In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. John 1:1, 14 “In the beginning was the Word . . .” ranks right up there with “Once upon a time . . .” as one of the best-of all-time intro lines to a story. The opening verses of John provide a beautifully poetic introduction to the greatest story ever told. Because the language is poetic rather than discursive, in these... Read more
In an interview with CNN a few Easters ago, Barbara Brown Taylor said this about many of her fellow Christians: True believers are among the meanest people I’ve ever met. I cannot think of anybody of another faith who has wounded me like Christians. Judged, condemned to hell, cast out of the body of the faithful — look me up online. I had first hand experience of exactly what she is talking about this past week. A week ago today,... Read more
A colleague from the history department with whom I have team-taught several times over the years sent me a text on Monday with a picture he had taken of an advertisement on the wall in our student center. The text said “I saw this walking through Slavin and thought of you!” Anyone who knows me well knows of my obsession with penguins and either texts me or Facebook messages me random penguin pictures, videos, and memes on a regular basis. ... Read more
One day several years ago, Jeanne said “I want a fish.” This was a rather random request, but Jeanne very seldom asks for anything, so within a few days we went to the pet store and purchased a Betta fish. Jeanne named him “Ezekiel” (more randomness), and he lived on the counter between our kitchen and dining room for over a year (longer than usual for a betta fish in captivity). Google “Care of Betta fish” and you’ll get all... Read more
A few days ago at an important faculty/administration meeting on campus, I found myself sitting next to a colleague who was hired into a tenure-track line in my department last year. I am on her peer review committee–she’s a superstar in the making. As we waited for the meeting to begin, she took a picture of the large crucifix hanging on the wall behind me. There is a crucifix in every classroom on our Catholic campus–my colleague has been sending... Read more
It occurred to me a couple of days ago that the spring semester is ending in a bit less than a month. Amazing. If you are thinking that as a college professor I should not be surprised by such things, you’re right–but things tend to sneak up on you. This means that my teaching colleagues and I have to start thinking about final papers and exams. They’ve been on the syllabus since the beginning of the semester, but now they... Read more
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