The Second Sunday of the Byzantine Pre-Lent Triodion reminds us of the great and bountiful love of God for humanity by way of the well-known parable of the Prodigal Son. In it, we are told of a man who had two sons. The first stayed with his father. The other went off on his own to pursue his passionate desires in life over and above all other things (including his father): And he said, “There was a man who had... Read more
J.R.R. Tolkien, believing England did not possess a great myth of its own, wanted to write one for it. As with all such myths, he wanted it to be seen as semi-historical, that is, he wanted it to be seen as a possible pre-history for the world. In his writings and reflections, he treated it as if it were history, trying to reconcile what we know of recorded history with his myth, while recognizing that its mythic elements allowed it... Read more
Week after week, month after month, year after year, Catholics partake of the eucharist, knowing that they are receiving Jesus. Sadly, few reflect upon what this means. Many are able to recite catechetical formulations and say that it is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. Most realize that communion grants them graces which they need. Fewer, however, understand how communion is meant to bring the faithful together as one. Even those who realize this receive it in... Read more
When talking abut the State of the Union (that is, of the United States) in 2020, nothing better represents that state than the fact that Trump has been impeached. Nothing he can do will ever remove that from his record. He has been impeached. Those complaining about the process of impeachment should study how a Grand Jury is organized and conducted, because once they learn that, they will see the process in the House was much fairer than that which... Read more
The Temple in Jerusalem holds an important role in salvation history. Those who came to it could experience the presence of God. If they went with the right attitude and spiritual condition, their encounter with God could leave them changed for the better. However, if they there haughty and full of pride, they risked being turned away from God until they had a change of heart. There was, therefore, the possibility of an authentic encounter with God in the Temple.... Read more
Talking about the last judgment, Jesus indicated that we shall learn that what we did to others, especially the least among us, we did to him: “And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’” (Matt. 25:40 RSV). If we look, we shall find Jesus among the poor and needy, among the abused and outcast, among those who have been... Read more
Once, there was a debate in Constantinople concerning who among St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom was the greatest. Each of them had supporters promoting their preferred saint above the other two. For some, St. Basil’s asceticism, his work for the poor and needy, and his theological contributions on the Trinity, all indicated his superiority. For others, St. Gregory the Theologian’s profound mystical insight demonstrated he was above the rest. For those who supported... Read more
St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out there is a distinction between what we can come to know about God through the use of reason, and what we can know about God through revelation. Revelation transcends what we can come to know about God through reason, and so those who follow revelation will know more about God than those who have not the use of such revelation. However, by saying this, it becomes clear that it is one and the same God... Read more
On five Sundays preceding the Great Fast, the Byzantine tradition prepares its people with themes which should help them contemplate their own spiritual journey. It gives them spiritual reflections to prepare them for the penitential season. The first of these Sundays is that of the Sunday of Zacchaeus (even if it is not in the Lenten Triodion which begins with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee). The story is well-known. When Zacchaeus, a tax collector, heard that Jesus... Read more
In the 16th century, Rabbi Isaac Luria presented his own developed insight on the Kabbalah. He established a new tradition which would become one of the most influential representations of the Kabbalah for centuries. He was more systematic than most of his predecessors in his engagement with the Kabbalah, allowing him to establish new ways of discussing the relationship between God and creation. In doing so, he took into consideration and addressed the experiences of the Jewish people in his... Read more
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