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
Humanity was made for greatness; sadly, we find ourselves far from it. We have gone astray. We have and continue to act in ways which hinder our potential. We have not learned from our mistakes, as we continue to act in ways which further impede our greatness, sometimes creating bad habits which, once we realize what we have done, make it difficult for us to change our ways. While we have free will, the freedom we have been given is... Read more
We must be careful and not confuse the external form of the church, the church as it exists in the world throughout history, and the structures it uses to establish its place in the world, as being what the church is. The institutional church is important, and it needs rules to help fulfill its task, but those rules and its actions in history can be and are influenced by human conventions and cultural expectations and norms, elements which have nothing... Read more
I have been thinking about writing a new kinds of series for my blog, one which would be different in style than other things I publish on it, and today, I decided to start it. The series will be written in the first person, and it will be a much more informal presentation. I will use it to reflect on many different subject matters, from ideas or concerns going through my thoughts, to brief reviews over something I have recently... Read more
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