A Renewal of Baptismal Promises in Horrible Times

Last updated on: April 29, 2019 at 8:24 am By Jack Hartjes

In the Catholic Church we don’t re-Baptize, but we regularly renew our baptismal promises. In the Catholic Church we always baptize individuals not groups or collectivities. But sometimes our attention is drawn to a whole world of ills, to vast territories of horror. In this post I am imagining help for the world coming somehow from the sacrament of Baptism and specifically from a renewal of our baptismal promises. We renew our baptismal promises every time another person is baptized... Read more

Joseph of the Bible’s Dysfunctional Families

Last updated on: February 1, 2020 at 3:34 pm By Jack Hartjes

The Joseph saga in the last third of Genesis tells us something about how God works. It’s not the way we’d expect. God accomplishes great things with flawed human material, even through the flaws themselves. Instead of the tragic flaw of Greek plays, the Bible gives us the “happy fault.” Episode 9 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia….... Read more

Isaac’s Near-Death Experience: Did an Editor Save Him?

Last updated on: February 1, 2020 at 3:25 pm By Jack Hartjes

Israelites may once have practiced human sacrifice, but that changed. This post looks for hints of that change in the story of Abraham and Isaac and asks some questions about any sacrificing to God. Episode 8 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia…. Abe heard voices from the sky. Alleluia. Said young Isaac had to die. Alleluia. When they... Read more

“Sex Positive” and Ways to Play with a Truck

Last updated on: June 8, 2018 at 5:31 am By Jack Hartjes

The movement called “Sex positive” is part positive, part not, part gain and part loss. Positively, it pushes against historic and still operating patriarchy, intolerance, and prudery. Negatively, it operates from the same hyper-individualism that inflicts modern Western societies. This post imagines recovering what is lost in of modern sexual mores. There was a toy sword and all seven grandchildren in one house. Two of the children were in conflict. One was the owner of the sword. The other was... Read more

Abraham: What Kind of Story is He Father of?

Last updated on: November 16, 2020 at 3:14 pm By Jack Hartjes

Is Abraham an imaginary figure or a historical person? If historical, what does a Catholic make of the fantastic stories the Bible tells about him. What can the rest of the world make of the god of Abraham? Episode 7 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia…. Abraham was as good as dead. Alleluia. Still he believed what... Read more

Babel’s Ecological Warning

Last updated on: November 16, 2020 at 3:06 pm By Jack Hartjes

The Tower of Babel was meant to reach the sky. This post explains what a scary prospect that is and draws parallels with some of our frightening technological possibilities today. Episode 6 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia…. The Tower of Babel was rising high. Alleluia. People bragged they would reach the sky. Alleluia. All at once the Lord came down,... Read more

Climate Change for the Conservative Temperament

Last updated on: April 29, 2019 at 8:20 am By Jack Hartjes

My last post was about rising seas (Noah and the Flood). The next one will be about technology’s dangers (the Tower of Babel). Both of them put me in mind of the theme for today’s break from the “Rowing through the Old Testament” series. Climate change is real, caused by human activity, and a serious threat. That’s the majority opinion in the world today. Many conservatives, including religious conservatives, don’t but it. This post explores my puzzlement about the connection... Read more

Noah’s Story: A World Saved and All the More Precious

Last updated on: November 16, 2020 at 2:59 pm By Jack Hartjes

The story of Noah and the Flood is a literary genre that we might call “scary story.” Hebrews adapted it from the Babylonian culture, where it was much scarier. The Bible’s story helps us imagine that our whole world is as precious as if it had been saved from a flood. Episode 5 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore.... Read more

Genealogies in the Bible: Old Folks, Hopeful People

Last updated on: November 16, 2020 at 2:48 pm By Jack Hartjes

Genealogies in the Bible are what most people skip over. I do too, but I’m glad they’re there anyway. In this post I tell why and explain how the genealogies help us see the Jews as the world’s first hopeful people. Episode 4 of the Rowing with Michael Series: A journey through the Jewish/Christian Scriptures in Verse and Commentary. Introduction and Contents for this series HERE. Michael, row the boat ashore. Alleluia…. How many years before you’re dead? Alleluia. A... Read more

Teilhard Blesses this World of Matter, and So do I

Last updated on: April 29, 2019 at 8:22 am By Jack Hartjes

A prayer from Teilhard de Chardin reveals the material world as a true companion on the road to meaning and morality. I ponder my own relationship to matter and my feelings about God. Among the surprises preacher Bishop Michael Curry had for his worldwide audience at Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s wedding was a quote from priest, scientist, and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. I’ll repeat those words of Teilhard at the end of this post. My favorite Teilhard quote... Read more