“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (Jas. 1:27 RSV). This type of message is found throughout Scripture. In it, we find God constantly promoting those in need, those who have been or will be exploited, or those who are unjustly suffering at the hands of those with power and authority. In ancient Israel, as well as at... Read more
While it would be wrong to say all Protestants think alike, the popular form of evangelical Protestantism which I was raised in (as a Southern Baptist) tended to emphasize the need for correct belief (orthodoxy) over and above correct actions (orthopraxis), because they believed salvation is by faith without works. While such evangelicals will point to various sins, especially ones they culturally disapprove of, as justification for the perdition of non-believers, they tend to ignore sins against charity and continue... Read more
Many expected the Holy Martyr, Agrippina, coming from a rich family, to fulfill her normal place in society as a wife and mother. She did not want that kind of life for herself. She embraced a different path, that of celibacy. She resisted the expectations society had for her; she wanted greater autonomy for herself, and not have some husband rule over her, so she could dedicate her life to serving Christ the best she could. She, like many other... Read more
When the Christian church was growing in size, the Apostles found it becoming more and more difficult to serve everyone’s needs. This led to all kinds of conflict in the early Christian community, as everyone thought the Apostles should be focused on their needs, even if it meant they would neglect the needs of others. Because of this, the Apostles created the order of deacons, an order which would be focused serving the needs of the people while the Apostles... Read more
It is a sad fact that people can often see something happening which they know is wrong but do nothing to fix it. This was often the case with slavery. Many, when they were exposed to the slave trade in action, were horrified by what they saw, and yet, despite that, they did nothing about it, indeed, they still accepted its place in the social order. This, for example, was the case with Fr. Ippolito Desideri, SJ. He was a... Read more
I try to read at least an hour every day; sometimes, I am unable to do so, and of course, sometimes I read much more than that. I like to read a variety of material from theology, philosophy, history, and science to genre fiction, including and especially science fiction. My love of reading was given to me by both of my parents, though especially my father, who introduced me at a young age to science fiction and fantasy, as it... Read more
If we pay attention, Paul warns us against reading what he wrote in an overly-literal fashion. He knew he was using human conventions, conventions which have all kinds of limitations. Because the truth does not have any such limitations, conventions used to portray the truth must not be confused with the fullness of the truth itself. At best, conventions serve as pointers to the truth which lies beyond them. Some of the best conventions are metaphoric, that is, they point... Read more
We have to look back to pre-history, to Abraham, to see the foundations of modern, Western monotheism. We are given a glimpse of the historical Abraham through various legendary accounts of his life. While some might question whether or not there was a real man behind those legends, however, as many, if not most, legends seem to develop out of historical events before they are transformed into an exaggerated, legendary account, it should not be difficult for us to assume... Read more
There have been a few events the last few days which I have thought about commenting upon with the most prominent of them being President Biden’s Executive Order concerning immigration. I think it was a mistake on his part. Those seeking, indeed, needing asylum, have the potential to being gravely harmed by it. Of course, I know that if Donald Trump, and those who follow him, had their way, things would be far worse, as they have nothing but contempt... Read more
We have a role in our own personal creation: we have been given free will, and through it, we can develop ourselves, establishing our own personal identity. Our actions, and the reasons behind them, are important. They play a significant part in who we are, indeed, they can reveal to others who it is we have become. Obviously, much of our interior life will remain hidden, so what is revealed is partial, but it is enough to give others, and... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In