The first thing we say about God in the Creed is that God is Father. Actually, in the current English translation we name God “Father almighty.” I prefer to separate these two ideas with a comma. As I explained in my last post, I can think of God as Father and as almighty, but not both at once. If you’re thinking of yourself as especially mighty, I suggest becoming a father to cure your delusion. This is the fourth in a series on the Creed of... Read more
St. Paul wrote: “The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1:25) Formerly, I translated this in my mind as a clever way of saying, “God’s strength is really strong.” I take God’s weakness more literally now. This is the third in a series on the Creed of Christians. An introduction consists of my retelling of the Creed’s story. That and links to other posts in the series are here. God’s kingdom When I look at Jesus, I don’t see a lot... Read more
I’ve been reciting two Christian Creeds (one of them by heart) since I was little. Their recitation puts me right where I belong, in the midst of a community united by common beliefs. But how do I understand those beliefs. In this post I’m puzzling about the fifth word in the original Greek version of the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed, pantokrator. English translates this word “almighty” — God is infinitely powerful. This is the second in a series on the Creed of Christians.... Read more
Should Jesus have worked more miracles than he did? The atheist says, of course he should have. If he was God and if God is what Christians believe, Jesus could have cured every sick person in Palestine. Jesus said, if you have two coats, share with one who has none. The Church should apply the same logic to its God. Twelfth in the series “Stories of Jesus and the Character of God.” In this series I probe what historical Jesus scholars can say about the humanness and... Read more
The miracle stories in the Bible include legends and some amazing deeds of power that Jesus did perform. They are not about a few past events that challenge our scientific ingenuity to explain. They are about this world that we live in. Miracles tell us what this world is like and give us hope for what it can be. Eleventh in the series “Stories of Jesus and the Character of God.” In this series I probe what historical Jesus scholars can say about the... Read more
During the Advent and Christmas seasons I have been praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary a little more joyfully than usual. This post is about those mysteries with some thoughts about Scripture. History is always a question when I turn to Scripture, but it’s pretty far in the back of my mind when praying the Rosary. I’ve dealt with the historical question as they relate to the Joyful Mysteries in posts, including here and here. Scriptures for the Joyful Mysteries I recite a passage from... Read more
In my daily prayers I ask God for favors: Help this one recover from surgery. Help that one find a job. Help me write this post. Am I asking for miracles? This post looks at miracles as metaphors of a transcendent God’s involvement in creation. I interpret those metaphors a number of ways. That’s how it goes with God. With only univalent, literal language God cannot be named accurately but becomes an idol, a piece of the world. Tenth in the series “Stories of Jesus and the Character of... Read more
Science does not easily accept as real an event that breaks the laws of nature. There may be gaps in our understanding, but once we do understand how something works, we figure it will work that way all the time. An apparently miraculous exception is, to scientists, only a challenge to keep on looking for a rational explanation. They want to investigate–if not the event then the experience or the report. For Christians some of that rational activity may take the form... Read more
Catholics that I know admire but feel uncomfortable about Jehovah’s Witnesses. They are the ones who go from door to door, Bible or leaflets in hand, trying to make converts. Not many Catholics can see themselves doing that. With the Feast of Epiphany approaching, I’ve been thinking about the Three Kings and what recent popes call the new evangelization. Of course, they weren’t kings. In a story in Matthew’s Gospel, magi come from the East following a star. They find and worship the baby Jesus. Then they go back... Read more
Jesus fully human is more central to Christian belief than Jesus the miracle worker. We have this image of Jesus walking on water and we use that image conversationally for people who think way too much of themselves – “She thinks she can walk on water.” But that’s a criticism; it’s not a proper way for a person to think. Is it proper for Jesus and not for us? Did Jesus think he could “walk on water,” work a miracle anytime he wanted? I have to admit to having... Read more
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