I have long held a strong affection for the story of the Magi, the story of the Wise Men from the East (Zoroastrians), who, thanks to their astrological studies, learned of the birth of Jesus and made a long journey to Bethlehem. They believed there was something special about him and his birth, and so they wanted to render him the honor they believed he was due. Tradition says that they became devoted followers of Christ, adoring him throughout their... Read more
Christianity teaches us that the world (that is, universe) we live in is good because it was created by God, and God is good. The world might be defiled and covered up by our sin, making it difficult for us to see its goodness, but its inherent goodness remains, however difficult it might be for us to find it (just like a gold statue completely covered by trash might lead people to think the statue is worthless). Eschatologically, God will... Read more
Government is meant to work for and promote the common good. It is not intended to be used for private interest, especially for the exclusive interest of the rich and powerful seeking to make a greater profit for themselves at the expense of the poor and needy. Government is meant to promote justice, justice which includes providing services to promote the common good. To provide those services, government will have to spend money; they are not meant to be sold... Read more
Christianity has always had people who wanted to stamp it out. Some, like St. Paul, thinking Christianity was an abomination for teaching blasphemy, had good intentions behind their attacks against the Christian faith. Those intentions can be the source of transformation, as they were for Paul, because the reason why he attacked the Christian faith (and Christ), was due to a misunderstanding, not only of what the new Christian community was teaching, but also of what God wanted for humanity.... Read more
Before I became Catholic, I was extremely literalistic in the way I read and understood Scripture. This should not be surprising, because I was nominally raised in a fundamentalistic tradition, that is, as a Southern Baptist. I did not realize Scripture was written with various genres and styles, and that its creation story (or stories) were better understood as myth than history. This is not to say such myth had no element of history associated with it, as history often... Read more
Christ is Born! Glorify Him! How can we glorify Christ if we keep our eyes closed to the horrors of the world, to the ways we, as a society, are making things worse for those in need? How can we say we love the poor boy in the manger if we deny bread to the poor, deny a place to stay to those who have no place of their own? How can we glorify the God who, having been born... Read more
Many Christians imagine Mary, the Mother of God, to be a rather passive figure, a passivity which they attribute to her humility. They have been led to confuse humility with self-deprecation, the kind which leads people to deny their own agency so that they become mere followers of someone else. This kind of conception of humility is used to promote subjugation of people, telling them if they resist those in power, they are being prideful. In the end, such a... Read more
Family is important. Even when we are raised up in and by a bad family, it is in and through our family situation we first find our place in the world. We should hope and pray that everyone would have good, loving, parents and siblings, making sure everyone has a good foundation for their life. Sadly, this is often not the case. We should also wish everyone was raised in a well-off family, one which is not struggling to survive.... Read more
A proper Christian spirituality has us embrace the need to be of service to others. Such service must be freely rendered: that is, it must not be something enforced, but rather, it should be done out of love. This is not to say we should ignore justice, saying that the enforcement of justice should be purely voluntary; grave injustices require action so that those who suffer them can find relief. Our loving service to others must, therefore, not be set... Read more
A Universe Filled with Wonders and Possibilities When I was growing up, my father shared with me his love for reading, especially his love for reading science fiction and fantasy stories, which is why genre fiction remains my favorite kind of fiction to read. Similarly, my favorite type of film and television series has been, and continues to be, science fiction. Despite being disappointed in the way Doctor Who has become during the last several years, it has been, and... Read more
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