Seasons of Grace
A classic meditation on Good Friday, originally presented by Tony Campolo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YByT6wfdhJs&feature=related Read more
A classic meditation on Good Friday, originally presented by Tony Campolo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YByT6wfdhJs&feature=related Read more
So here we are in the home stretch. The six weeks of Lent, during which I was going to become a new creation, are winding down. Christ is in the tomb, and we look to His rising on Sunday morning. I have failed. Again. I was going to pray more; but too many evenings, I communed with the TV or the computer instead. I was going to fast from sweets and overcome my love affair with processed foods; I gained... Read more
Christ is risen! Bang! Bang! Do you remember Fr. Michael Pfleger, that feisty and controversial Chicago priest who befriended controversial African-American activists such as Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan? Father Pfleger has been a lightning rod for controversy: He encouraged his parishioners at St. Sabina to buy time from prostitutes and to use the time to invite the women to counseling and job training. He posted billboards in Chicago, urging people not to listen to rap... Read more
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is good; their politics—not so much. The company, founded in 1989, has had a long tradition of engaging in “critical, global economic and social missions.” When it was sold in April 2000 to British-Dutch multinational food giant Unilever, it continued in that tradition. New CEO Jostein Solheim of Norway believes that “values-led businesses” as a force for change, addressing inequities inherent in global business. Ben & Jerry’s outlets in the United Kingdom, in an effort... Read more
Pope John Paul II said so much, wrote so much, taught so much that was truly memorable. He helped to overthrow communism and to foster peace. He was called a pioneer in inter-faith dialogue. His series of talks which came, cumulatively, to be known as the “theology of the body” helped to sharpen and define our understanding of what he called the “nuptial meaning of the body.” He clarified the Church’s teachings against artificial contraception, capital punishment, divorce, homosexuality and... Read more
Leonardo da Vinci was the quintessential “Renaissance man”—skilled in mathematics, music, science, anatomy, geology, cartography, botany, architecture and writing. An engineer by trade, he developed rudimentary plans for the helicopter, military tank, solar power, and the calculator; but none of these were developed in his lifetime. He conceptualized the theory of plate tectonics; but science had not advanced to the stage where this information could be utilized or even tested. He made important discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, optics, and... Read more
I am hooked on the Redford Theatre, that once-bedraggled movie house which has been slowly, painstakingly brought back to life by the Motor City Theatre Organ Society. On occasional Fridays and Saturdays, The Redford offers discount-priced old movies: silent films, classic musicals, black-and-white dramas from Hollywood’s golden days. It’s cheap (four bucks!) It’s camp (audience participation!) It’s entertaining (The historic 3 Manual/10 Rank Barton Theatre Pipe Organ rises from the floor during the 30-minute pre-movie concert, and again at Intermission;... Read more
On March 29, Pope Benedict XVI met with former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Wouldn’t it have been fun to be a fly on the wall during that meeting? We know that the ailing Cuban leader was upbeat, praising the Holy Father for his stamina. (Fidel Castro, who is just a year older than the Pope, was forced by health issues to retire from public life in 2008.) Castro expressed his appreciation for the work of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta... Read more
On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Vatican approved the publication of a new “Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb.” The recognitio was released by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in Rome. Here in the United States, the news was welcomed by the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of that committee, said, “I can think of no better day to announce this news than... Read more
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