Pope Francis, in his newest encyclical, explains how good politicians are concerned about the common good, not about their own private interests. They seek to help society, to make it better. Thus, they ask themselves questions, trying to determine if what they do is only for themselves or if it is for others: At times, in thinking of the future, we do well to ask ourselves, “Why I am doing this?”, “What is my real aim?” For as time goes... Read more
Peter, writing to the faithful, tells them to hold love above all things: Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another. As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in... Read more
Many people find clowns to be extraordinarily creepy. There is something about the way they look that makes people afraid. It is not that clowns are evil (though of course, there have been evil clowns), it is the fact that the way they imitate and distort the human image makes them look evil. And why does it make them look evil? Because evil imitates and distorts the good, often becoming a parody of the good itself. Those who fear clowns... Read more
After the Resurrection, after the Ascension, after Pentecost, the church continues Christ’s work in history. It continues to announce the kingdom of God to all. And, just like Jesus announced the kingdom of God because he brought it with him in his person, making its presence found wherever he was at, so the church continues to bring the presence of the kingdom of God to the world. Jesus told the church that it would do the things which he had... Read more
Henri de Lubac, in Paradoxes of Faith, tells us something which we must always keep in mind when we read: When we are faced with a very great text, a very profound one, never can we maintain that the interpretation we give of it – even if it is very accurate, if need be, the only accurate one — coincides exactly with its author’s thought.[1] What ideas inspire a writer to write the text which the they eventually write, and... Read more
Standard Christology describes Jesus as being God and man, one person with two natures. Those natures remains intact, they remain what they are. That is, they are not mixed with each other, creating a third, new nature. Nor does the humanity, in its unity with the greater divine nature, find itself lost and annihilated. The two natures remain distinct and intact. Theology, however, talks about the “communication of idioms,” communicatio idiomatum, in which, because the two natures are united in... Read more
We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves (cf. Mk. 12:31). When we are told this, it is expected that we will love ourselves. We should not be selfish, we should not engage self-love at the exclusion others. That is why we are told to love our neighbor. But, in loving our neighbor, a love which can be and is going to be self-sacrificial, we must not neglect the fact that we need love, and that love should not... Read more
Sometimes, reading Scripture, we get a hint of the way early Christians slowly became aware of the identity of Jesus. Even though it was written after the fact, and with a theological purpose, Scripture speaks to us timeless truths about Jesus, and through them, we can learn to look at him and identify him, not only in the way the early Christians did, but in the way subsequent theological development, guided by the Holy Spirit, allowed the church to come... Read more
Just as Jesus could say the Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath (cf. Mk. 2:27), so we can and should say the law is made for humanity, not humanity for the law. The law is meant to promote and preserve justice. It should aim for and promote the common good. If some law does not promote justice, but rather, injustice, it is not to be followed or served – an unjust law is no law. Positive... Read more
Prayer can come in many forms, but what is important is to realize, when we engage private prayer with God, it is often best to be simple and straightforward. We don’t need to use many words, as Jesus explained: “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matt. 6:7 RSV). Indeed, we just need to reach out and simply ask for God’s help.... Read more
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