MARK 1:9-11 I’m so used to reading these passages and accepting them as matter of fact when, of course, there is nothing matter of fact about them. The “simple” fact of Jesus’ baptism carries a wealth of information that affects us deeply, as we can see. This not only helps me understand the great power of our own baptism, but how intricately interwoven everything is in the balance of salvation history and our own relationship with Christ. Jesus’ coming up... Read more
MARK 1:4 Repentance Metanoia (Gk): literally a “change of mind”. The word is used 22 times in the New Testament for a conversion of one’s entire life to the Lord. Based on similar OT concepts, it involves a twofold movement of the heart: one who repents turns away from sin (1 Kings 8:35; Ezek 18:30) and toward God (Hos 6:1; Sir 17:25, 26; Heb 6:1). This entails genuine contrition for past failings and a firm resolve to avoid them in... Read more
Sense Nonsense: Fundamental Propositions Not Too Good to Be True, Just Too Hard to Accept by Francisco J. Garcia-Julve Can I tell you that I was sitting at the Sense Nonsense book website just chuckling at the sayings rotating? (You can’t yet, but go take a look and you’ll see what I’m talking about.) They’re funny because they’re true (as wise man Homer Simpson has often told us). Although they aren’t always funny … anyway it was enough to interest... Read more
MARK 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God] The first verse of the Gospel is a title to the whole work. Like Matthew and John, Mark opens with an echo of the book of Genesis. The beginning recalls the first line of the creation narrative in Gen 1:1, and suggests that the good news that Mark is about to tell is a new beginning, a new work of God as original and stupendous as... Read more
A couple of additional items to add to our previous look at the author of Mark and the manuscript. A fragment of 1st century manuscript of the Gospel of Mark has been discovered. We might think this is not that big a deal, but this bit of the interview about it shows the difference it makes … we discover we can trust the text we have now. Ok, I did already, but it is interesting to see this verification. (Thanks... Read more
Scott and I discuss whether men can read Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre versus The Hunger Games … and Scott’s one big question. All on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. Read more
So I’m reading this really great Catholic commentary on the Gospel of Mark and I remembered that I have a ton of Bible study stuff for the Gospel of Mark. So lets go through it together. I like the idea that the Gospel of Mark is just about as close to an eyewitness account as we can get. The earliest manuscripts of the second Gospel are titled “According to Mark”. This heading is not part of the original work but... Read more
Painted by Sister Isabella Guerra Found at lines and colors where you may see more of Sister Isabella Guerra’s luminous paintings and read about her. Sister Isabel Guerra is a nun at the Cistercian monastery of Santa Lucia, Zaragoza in Spain. She is a self-taught painter whose work in oil is often strikingly realistic, at times leaning to classical styles, at other times with more modern elements. Read more
Here’s the book I was reading that made me remember all those Catholic thrillers I highlighted last week. Good, evil, angels, demons, and a new breed of Knight Templar with (naturally) hearts of gold. Sons of Cain by Val Bianco You’re either going to love this thriller or hate it. It has a definite Catholic orientation (which is a turn-on for me, let’s get that straight right now) and definitely hews to the conservative side of the political spectrum. So... Read more
I’m slipping this in under the “thriller” category but it is actually a mystery. Valley of the Bones by Michael Gruber is hands-down one of the most interesting books I have ever read in. Gritty and very Catholic, it is without the usual trappings found in a mystery. In Miami, a man is hit on the head and thrown from a hotel balcony. When the homicide detective, Paz, goes up to investigate, he finds a woman, Emmylou Dideroff, in the... Read more
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