Jesus, being all-compassionate, was concerned about the health and welfare of the people he encountered. One of the many things he came to do was to be a healer. People with all kinds of problems, whether they were physical, psychological, spiritual, or social, would come to him and ask him for his help. He didn’t find an excuse to ignore them (which, sadly, many Christians do when they see people suffering in the world today). This is why many who... Read more
Christians are expected to be “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15a RSV), for, as Jesus told them, “the truth will make you free.” (Jn. 8:32n RSV). Truth is important. Freedom can only be protected if we are willing to embrace the truth. But finding the truth is not always easy, and often, all we have is a partial understanding of, leading us to be in conflict with others with their own partial understanding of it. This is why truth... Read more
Hospitality has an important place in the Christian life. We are meant to recognize the inherent dignity of other by treating them with respect. This is why we are meant to welcome others when they come to us, a principle which was recognized by the earliest Christians. “Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another” (1 Ptr. 4:9 RSV). To encourage Christians to follow what they should naturally be inclined to do, the author of the book of Hebrews said that when... Read more
One of the dangerous tendencies or temptations those who study theology have to overcome is the suggestion that exhaustive theological knowledge is necessary for salvation. A comprehensive understanding of the faith is impossible. Thus, to require it for our salvation would make salvation impossible. The absolute truth of the Christian faith is the truth of God, and only God can comprehend God. “Rather, none know God with innermost knowledge save God.”[1] It is dangerous to impose some sort of theological... Read more
Jesus glorified God the Father in everything he did. “I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do” (Jn. 17:4 RSV). One of the ways he did this was to empty himself of his divine glory in his assumption of human nature, and then, continuing on with that kenosis, he also emptied himself of human glory as he suffered and endured the shame of becoming an outcast from society. And thus, having found himself... Read more
There is a long history of anti-Catholic bigotry being used to attack Catholics in the United States. That history includes evangelicals trying to make sure Catholics could not get in positions of political power and authority. Even Billy Graham tried to use that anti-Catholic bias against John F. Kennedy, suggesting Kennedy should not be president because of his Catholicism. If someone, or some organization, could be shown to specifically target Catholic politicians in order to have them removed from office,... Read more
“Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 6:1 RSV). True glory is found in humility. We should not be seeking to make ourselves look great in front of others. When we do so, and we receive accolades because of the way we appear to others, we might be pleased with ourselves, for we have gained what we desired,... Read more
The way so many of us think about morality, the way so many of us think about good and evil, is dualistic. That is, we tend to think good and evil are equal and opposite to each other, making good and evil substantial entities in and of themselves. This leads us to believe that if we do something evil, no good would have led us to act in such a way, nor will any good come out of it. Similarly,... Read more
Paul always loved the Jewish people. He was one of them. He always saw himself as one of them. His faith in Jesus did not diminish his hopes and fears for his people. He always believed they had a special place in the world. He always hoped for their salvation. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved” (Rom. 10:1 RSV). The people of Israel had a very profound religious faith, one... Read more
After the Fourth of July mass-shooting in Highland Park, Pope Francis once again reiterated his plea for our society to move beyond its cycle of violence; that is, he indicated, once again, the need for gun control in the United States: Pope Francis has decried the tragic shootings that killed six and wounded some 30 others during a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park on Monday, appealing for a rejection of all forms of violence,... Read more
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