Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12 In his collection of essays Breakfast at the Victory, James Carse writes about the spiritual lessons he learned when the water at his family’s rural New England cabin started tasting funny one summer. It turned out that the wooden cover over the cabin’s well had collapsed under the weight of a deer or a bear, and was polluting the water that fed the well. Carse’s essay explores, with some... Read more
In last Sunday’s gospel reading, Jesus tells us that those who wish to follow him should be prepared to “take up their cross.” In other words, those who follow Jesus can expect darkness, suffering, and pain to be part of the journey. In his homily, my friend and our rector Mitch made reference to the destruction of large parts of Coventry, England during a Nazi air raid in World War II; the destruction included Coventry’s centuries-old cathedral. I used the... Read more
Last May I posted an essay that ended with a note that my teaching colleague and I received from a student after their final oral exam in our colloquium on goodness during the Nazi era. This Is What You Are Afraid Of Please read the essay for the full story and context; I am re-posting my student’s note today because she is a DACA student. With POTUS’s imminent decision to end the DACA program, I wanted to provide an insight into the... Read more
If we remembered that water takes its color from the vessel containing it, we would not interfere with the beliefs of others, but would perceive God in every form of belief. James Carse Once a number of years ago, in the early days of a four-month sabbatical at an ecumenical institute, I presented an overview of my sabbatical project to my fellow institute resident scholars during our weekly scheduled seminar. In its early stages, my project was an intended exploration... Read more
Of all the lessons I’ve learned in my three decades of teaching, none is more important than remembering the difference between an idol and an icon. The same is true of the writing life. Immanuel Kant once said that the most sublime of all the commandments in the Jewish law was the Second Commandment, with its prohibition of idolatry. Kant knew that human beings are incurable idolaters–teachers need to be constantly aware of this. The story is told that St. Augustine used to... Read more
We are in the business of believing in, and promoting, things that don’t yet exist. Julie Schumacher, Dear Committee Members Today is the antepenultimate day of August. August is one of my favorite months because I am a college professor. August is very quiet on campus—no classes, few hosted events, few visitors other than prospective students and their parents taking tours. I can work out at the gym without competing for equipment and enjoy observing the various construction sites on... Read more
Ten years ago this summer, I attended a writers conference for the first time in my life–I signed up at Jeanne’s urging (and against my better judgment). My workshop was “Literary Essay”; each of the fifteen members wrote daily 500 word essays, which were submitted to colleagues for critique and (hopefully) helpful evaluation. My essays tended to praise the virtues of my dog and the Boston Red Sox, while frequently expressing struggles with faith, God, religion, and my own very human inadequacies.... Read more
When I was a young professor, the chair of my department frequently would say in department meetings that, in her estimation, one of the primary goals of the philosophy department was to shape and mold our students into moral human beings. I didn’t buy it then and I still don’t. Making moral people is well above my skill level and pay grade–God doesn’t even seem to be very good at it. Every summer one of my projects is to tackle a... Read more
There is a big difference between “Christendom” (an institution) and “Christianity” (a way of life)–it is a difference that persons of Christian faith should always keep in mind. I’ve spent my entire professional career as a philosophy professor teaching in Catholic institutions of higher education. Since I’ve always been straightforward with those interviewing me, my colleagues, and my students that I am not Catholic, I’ve never been accused of being a “Catholic philosopher” (although many of my colleagues wear that... Read more
There are few pastimes more popular than playing “What If?” It’s a favorite theme, for instance, in popular television series and movies: What if the Allied powers had lost World War II? (Amazon’s “The Man in the High Castle”) What if the Confederacy had won the Civil War? (HBO’s planned “Confederacy”) and is a favorite pastime of sports fans: What if Pete Carroll had not made such a bonehead call at the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX? (The New... Read more
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