One of the things the Christian faith teaches us is that we are in this together, that we must not look out solely for our own good, ignoring the needs of others. The story of Cain and Abel, in part, shows the spirit of individualism and where it leads. For Cain has no care or concern for his brother; indeed, he is willing to kill his bother for his own gain. In the end, he suffers the consequences of his... Read more
Paul, wanting and needing monetary support for his mission work, didn’t make any demands for it, didn’t indicate that everyone should give him a percentage of their money as a tithe, but rather, he exhorted his audience to give as they saw fit. “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7 RSV). While we could discuss the implications on Paul’s words in relation... Read more
Jesus warned against those who like to emphasize and promote rigorous legalism while acting contrary to the rules they use to control the people. He indicated that they were hypocrites who, despite trying to hide their hypocrisy, could only do so for so long before their it is revealed: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said... Read more
When Scripture talks about heaven, or the heavens, it is hard to deny that many such passages are cosmological, not theological, and they follow an ancient cosmological understanding of the visible sky and what was believed to be in it as well as what could be found beyond it. Many early Christians, therefore, could and would engage that cosmology in their writings, such as when St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote: So, to reveal our thinking more clearly, we shall repeat... Read more
Our actions, more than our words, teach those around us. If our actions are uncharitable, we teach others to act similarly, and have no concern for others; if, on the other hand, we engage others with charity and grace, helping them as we can, we teach those around us, those who look up to us, to follow our example and care for others as well. It is easy to speak well, and to say what should be said, if we... Read more
As we are made in the image and likeness of God, our very being, our essence, as it were, can be said to represent God, serving as a natural temple of God. It is not, however, the only way we can be understood as temples of God. For, when Paul said, “For we are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16b RSV), he was talking about the special way Christians are temples of God. For Christians are baptized... Read more
An authentic martyr does not go out, purposefully make a spectacle of themselves, causing problems in order to provoke a response which leads to their own death. An authentic victim is someone who is innocent of harming others, indeed, is someone who has not caused problems which led to people taking action against them in order to stop their terrible actions (especially if such actions are justly unlawful). Sadly, many who cause problems, many who hurt others, many who engage... Read more
Typically, during daily lives, and the spiritual development we have happen during them, we will not experience many, if any, apparently miraculous events. We should not expect many, if any, profound, and so obviously, other-worldly spiritual encounters. Most of our lives will likely seem mundane. And yet, just because it does not seem as if many great things are occurring in our lives, we do grow and gain greater insight about ourselves, finding out who we really are and what... Read more
Many of us have been told that we should treat every day as if it were a great gift given to us by God. We should try to discern and understand that gift, looking for the good which is being given to us each and every day of our lives. We should embrace that gift, treasure it, and indeed, be thankful for it, so that even with all the pains and sorrows we also have in our lives, we will... Read more
Jesus, in his parables, told us that we must take the gift of grace we have been given and use it well, for in doing so, the grace we have will grow; if not, it will not just become stagnate, but it, as it were, atrophy. It will be as if it were taken away from us. This is, in part, the message given to us in the story of the man who gave his servants money to use, with... Read more
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