Last week, in what might be one of Trump’s most reckless moves to date (although, his engagement with North Korea could be just as rash), he declared Jerusalem to be the capitol of Israel. At the same time, he indicated that he would be moving the United States’ embassy to Jerusalem. It is a move which previous administrations knew would be dangerous, which is why none of them did so even if they wanted to do so. It was a... Read more
Sophism and rigid fundamentalism represent two extremes in regards in truth and goodness, and following either will end up creating great personal and social harm. Sophism makes all considerations of truth and goodness so relative that it becomes argued there is no real objective standard of right and wrong. Rigid fundamentalism, while capable of being seen as the opposite extreme of sophism, has two separate but equally significant problems. First, it assumes what is believed is the pure, objective standard,... Read more
If doing what is just is the same as charity, then love burns cold. Charity transcends justice; it expects justice as the starting point, and if it is not there, it works to establish justice so that it can give of itself afterward. Justice is not just solitary, it is distributive, to be seen personally and communally, and the government’s purpose is for the execution of justice. To say government interferes in charity if it seeks justice is like saying... Read more
A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor; but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days (Prov. 28:16 RSV). Trump, in his haughty ignorance, continues to prove the prophetic value of the book of Proverbs. On Monday, Trump announced his takeover of public lands for the sake of private interests. Speaking in Utah, he stated that he will downsize Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase national monuments. He said, once again like Bane in the Dark Knight... Read more
Abba John said, ‘Our Father, Abba Anthony, said he had never put his own personal advantage before the good of a brother.’ [1] St. Anthony the Great learned that the Christian vocation, especially for an ascetic like himself, is aimed not for the sake of the selfish betterment at the expense of all others but for the sake of the common good. Love for God is revealed in love for one’s neighbor. True love seeks for the well-being of the... Read more
In the writings of Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu, we find an interesting conversation. A tutor to the crown prince of Wei had to deal with the question of how to teach and train the prince when that same prince, K’uai-k’uei, seemed to lack discipline and virtue. The tutor knew that one day the prince was going to rule. If the prince could not be corrected and prevented from continuing in vice, he would end up destroying the state. On the... Read more
Throughout Scripture, devastation done to the earth is connected with and seen as a reflection of human sin. Humans were expected to take care of the earth as its stewards. While they have sinned by abandoning their proper place as guardians and protectors of the earth, they have done much worse than that, for in their selfishness and greed, they have looted the earth, destroying the beauty of God’s wonderful creation. In this manner, the prophet Isaiah was able to... Read more
While we should not limit femininity so that we only think of child birth as being the only thing which makes women unique, for there are many women who never give birth for one reason or another and yet represent the special charism given to all women, nonetheless whenever we find the use of child-birthing metaphors in the spiritual tradition, it is clear we are dealing with the special feminine charism.[1] Of course, “masculinity” and “femininity” are often conventions established... Read more
St. Catherine’s Monastery, which resides next to the mountain believed to be Mt. Sinai, serves as a fit reminder of the transcendence of God over the vainglorious presumptions of men. For not only does the Mosaic Covenant, established at Sinai, express the incomprehensible nature of God, putting aside all the false visions of God which preceded the Mosaic Covenant as idols to be cast away, St. Catherine of Alexandria, in her own tragic life, reinforces the division between the foolish... Read more
Abba Anthony predicted that this Abba Ammonas would make progress in the fear of God. He led him outside his cell, and showing him a stone, said to him, ‘Hurt this stone, and beat it.’ He did do. Then Anthony asked him, ‘Has the stone said anything?’ He replied, ‘No.’ Then Anthony said, ‘You too will be able to do that,’ and that is what happened. Abba Ammonas advanced to the point where his goodness was so great, he took... Read more
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