Dorothy Day once said she hoped she would not become a canonized saint because she feared when that happened, her message, and the work which she promoted, would be subverted by the process of canonization. She believed that a hagiographical portrait of her would be made which would ignore much of what she said and promoted, so that ultimately it can be ignored or dismissed. I think her fears have been proven to be true, as now I see many,... Read more
The end is coming for all of us. We cannot avoid it. However, we can prepare for it. How do we do that? By living our life well, making sure we contribute more that is good than what is bad in the world. What we do, what we have made of ourselves during our lives, will be revealed in the eschaton, which will show us the character we have made for ourselves for eternity. However, we can and do have... Read more
A problem found in many religious traditions lies in the way some of their members try to spread their faith through apologetics, and they end up using poor, simplistic arguments which are relatively easy to dismiss when they are critically examined. Apologetics, which can serve a good, such as when it is used to help explain various beliefs and practices from a particular faith tradition, becomes problematic when it is turned into a kind of pseudo-philosophy or pseudo-theology and apologists... Read more
Christianity teaches us something special about God, something which a few pre-Christian philosophers (such as Platonists) perceived in an imperfect manner (that is, they had a glimmer of the truth, allowing them to develop philosophical insights which Christians would later explore and develop in their theological exploration), and that is, God is Triune. There are three divine persons, and each of them desires to have a relationship with us: The entire world at its interior is filled with the self-communicating... Read more
My father was a law professor, and because of it, I was taught to respect the rule of law. He believed in it. However, as I studied philosophy, theology, and history, I came to understand the limitations with the rule of law. Law is meant to help in the promotion of justice, and with it, the common good. Sadly, that often does not happen. Those who create laws and those who enforce the rule law, often use laws, not for... Read more
God desires for the salvation of all. Jesus said it best, he was sent by the Father into the world, not to judge or condemn it, but to save it. This is the good news we all need to hear. God, who is just, merciful and loving, does all that is possible to bring about the salvation of all. This is not to say justice will be ignored, but it does mean God will work with justice, combing it with... Read more
Mercy and justice go together. Mercy makes no sense without justice, because it is through justice and its expectations we understand why various actions need to be rejected and punished, while such punishment tells us where the potential for mercy will be needed. Without mercy, without an ability to help those who have done wrong to change and be forgiven, and even helped they seek to make restitution, justice becomes legalistic and brutal, allowing no transformation, that is, it allow... Read more
The relationship and experience of African American Christians with Christianity is complex, and when examined closely, often includes several great paradoxes and challenges which make it that much more difficult to navigate and understand. Perhaps one of the greatest of those challenges was the fact that many white masters forbade their slaves to become Christian, making it appear that Christianity was a white religion (the fall-out of this sentiment continues to this day, with many African Americans rejecting Christianity for... Read more
As I am writing this, I am sick with covid. I have been sick for several days, but only got the covid diagnosis yesterday. After the confirmation, I have been thinking about the time which has passed since covid first made its appearance in the world, and what we have seen happen ever since. It is from these thoughts which I plan to write about here, perhaps in a way which is less organized than normal, and in a way,... Read more
In the Sundays preparing us for the Great Fast, the Byzantine tradition gives us various themes for us to contemplate, such as the one given to us today, the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. Each of these Sundays gives us examples of those who have done good which we should imitate, even as they show us people who represent the worst instincts which most of us have and must fight against. Sometimes, we have a story which puts... Read more
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