A key feature in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works is his environmentalism. He saw the degradation of the environment due to industrialization, and he believed it to be a great evil, one which could and would lead to pain, suffering, and even death. In The Lord of the Rings, Saruman took over the Shire, engaging a plan to destroy the beauty and integrity of the Shire. Trees were cut down, homes were destroyed, and the water and air was polluted by a... Read more
Christ is the prince of peace. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’” (Isa. 9:6 RSV). Those who would turn Jesus into a warrior-messiah, someone who will conquer the world by violence, misunderstand his messianic mission. They would have Jesus give into the temptation of the devil in the desert who... Read more
One of the errors many Christians have concerning their faith is that they confuse the formulations developed to explain and represent the faith with the faith itself. What we need to recognize is that these declarations, however vital and invaluable they can be, are at best approximations or pointers to truths which cannot be put down in words; that is, however well-established they are, however authoritative they are, they are derivative in nature. All such formulations rely upon human language,... Read more
Who we are, at the core of our being, is good; our true nature is good because it was created good by God. Even if and when we defile ourselves by our actions, our nature remains, in essence, as it was created by God. It is good. We might have lost sight of it, and so misunderstand ourselves, but it remains, and it is something we need to find again, to find, as it were, our true face, the face... Read more
It always gets me upset when I hear people complain about a “War on Christmas” while they are engaging a war on refugees. I find it ironic to hear complaints about a “War on Christmas” by those who deny Christ in the poor. It saddens me to hear about a “War on Christmas” by those who seek death and destruction in the world. To be sure, the hypocrisy can only go so far, which is why it doesn’t surprise me... Read more
Despite the way some people try to pit Paul against James concerning the value of good works, in reality, Paul did not reject their importance. Paul only wanted us to realize the humility we should have in relation to them. We can’t do them without God giving us the grace we need to reach our potential. That is why he says we are made to do them (and not ignore them). “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus... Read more
Pope Leo XIV, continuing on and developing some of what Pope Francis taught concerning society and its relationship with the poor, explains how society often tells the poor that they need to sacrifice themselves, their own well-being, for the good of all, saying they shall be rewarded for their sacrifice. That is, they are told their sacrifice is needed for the good of all. But, sadly, they will receive little to nothing of the fruit of their labor. The rich... Read more
Hate is self-destructive. When we act out of hate, when we seek some object for our scorn, our hatred grows. Usually, we take some kernel of the truth, some fact, and twist it in such a way to convince ourselves that hate is justified. The more we do this, the wider our hatred becomes, and so that more people (and things) end up being hated by us. Such hate is draining. The more we act upon it, the more we... Read more
When I was a Protestant, one of the most difficult things for me to understand about Catholicism was what Catholics taught about Mary. Mostly, this was because I did not understand the meaning of those teachings. I thought they were odd, if not outright heretical. Moreover, it seemed to me that Catholics focused too much on her. That is, I had a rather typical Protestant response to Catholic teachings about Mary. This changed when I was in college, when I... Read more
The rich who ignore the plight of the poor, the rich who make the lives of the poor worse while justifying their actions by demeaning the dignity of the poor, will eventually face the consequences of what they have done. Their indifference to the plight of others, or worse, the way they make the poor and vulnerable feel less than human, undermine the dignity of life. Their claims must be rejected, and their actions resisted. The rich must not be... Read more
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