Paul, showing his knowledge and understanding of the teachings of Jesus and how they related to his Jewish heritage, implores us to love our neighbor. He tells us that when we do so, we fulfill the law: Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are... Read more
God, by nature, is simple. God has no parts. Likewise, God, by nature, is incomprehensible to us. We can never comprehend the divine nature. Any attempt to do so will come up empty. Due to the simplicity of God, we can’t divide the divine nature up into lesser parts in order to comprehend them. For if we could do so, that would mean God is composite, composed of parts, and not simple. This is why anything which we comprehend about... Read more
Dante’s Divine Comedy presents to the modern reader a cosmology which is radically different from our own. Many people today read it as a work of fiction, and consider the cosmology itself to be a construct created by Dante himself. They say we should not read it theologically, as if it indicated anything about Christian notions of the afterlife. While there is, to be sure, an element of truth to that caveat, it is also true that he took on... Read more
We must be careful in the way we interpret particular weather events. Particular events, in and of themselves, do not present to us general data concerning climate. Climate change is general and universal, while particular events often represent specific variables that include effects from climate change, but are not limited by them. If it is extremely warm one day, it might be connected to global warming, but it doesn’t have to be. If it is extremely cold another day, such... Read more
Black lives matter. Long before police brutality led to the need for this statement to be made, the reality of the statement was lived and experienced by many black Catholics in America. For far too long, their plight was ignored. Their lives were ignored. Their livelihood was ignored. They were not valued. They were not respected. The preferential option for the poor was ignored by the majority of the church. Just as we find presently with the Black Lives Matters... Read more
Christians must never ignore or reject the legacy of the pre-Christian era. They must respect the People of Israel because God chose them to hold a special place in human history. Salvation is from the Jews. Anti-Semitism has no place in the Christian faith. Just as desecrating holy images would be an affront against God, showing hate to and attacking the People of Israel likewise is an affront against God, as those who do so denigrate those whom God has... Read more
Whenever we dare to talk about God, we must keep in mind the incomprehensible nature of God. Whatever we say about God will ultimately fail to fully represent God. To anything which has been said about God, we can give an apophatic no, saying God is greater than that. Our words, at best, can only point to the great mystery of God. If we try to comprehend the infinite through the finite, the infinite will break through the bounds of... Read more
There is a trick which many non-canonical Orthodox churches use in order to pretend they have canonical status: they send letters with gifts, such as money, to the Patriarch of Constantinople, while asking for him to give them a blessing. The Patriarch responds with kind words, imparting a general blessing. Once they receive their response, they suggest they have the Patriarch’s blessing for their ecclesial community. Of course, that was not the intention of the Patriarch’s blessing. All that he... Read more
From the very beginning of Christian history, there have been conflicts and divisions among Christians. Even Jesus’ disciples were known to fight amongst each other as they sought special honors from him. It is the sad fact of history: Christians have not always been and are not currently united with the bond of love which Jesus said they should have. Jesus knew that would be the case, and yet he also knew that many Christians would seek to bring an... Read more
Some who has a weak faith nonetheless still has faith. One cannot be weak in faith if they have no faith whatsoever. Those who are weak in faith should be, indeed, must be welcomed and respected by those whose faith is stronger. “As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions” (Rom 14:1 RSV). When they are encountered, and show their confusion and doubts, they must welcomed and treated well. They are... Read more
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