Life can always be better. It could always be worse. At least that’s what I think. How do we approach life in view of these scenarios? One of the keys to living well and remaining sane amid trials and tribulations is remaining grateful for life and being thankful for any signs of goodness amid the struggles. That’s what this post is all about. As the classic saying and song go, always look on the bright side of life. It’s good... Read more
We need to maximize human flourishing and minimize human suffering. So says distinguished medical ethicist, Robert Lyman Potter (M.D., Ph.D.), who has served as my family’s medical consultant since my adult son Christopher endured a catastrophic brain injury in January 2021. This post is about the need to maximize human flourishing and minimize needless suffering in various areas of life, while welcoming successful failures that lead to growth. Special consideration will be given to recovery from traumatic brain injuries and... Read more
My family’s journey with TBI parallels my life of faith. So many ups and downs. So much time waiting. The initialism TBI (traumatic brain injury) could easily be confused with TBA (to be announced) and TBD (to be determined). Every day we wait in hope and love that Christopher will make some measure of progress, no matter how small. Some days Christopher responds. Other days he doesn’t, or at least not in a way that I can discern. But like... Read more
Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet pondered the fundamental existential question of whether to live or die: “To be or not to be? That is the question.” One might think of whether to live or cease to live as a Christian in the following way: “To capitulate or recapitulate? That is the question.” This post reflects upon the Christian doctrine of recapitulation and its import for the Christian life. I asked my theology students to recall our treatment of the Christian doctrine of... Read more
If Hell is other people, what is Heaven? Here I riff on a statement taken from Jean Paul Sartre’s play “No Exit” to reflect not only upon Hell, but also upon Heaven. Jean Paul Sarte’s play “No Exit” is about three individuals trapped forever in Hell. They are confined to a room that is locked from the outside. They cannot close their eyes or escape one another’s apprehension and judgment. One of the characters laments at one point, “Hell Is... Read more
Today is known as “Divine Mercy Sunday” in the Roman Catholic calendar and is associated with Faustina Kowalska (later known as St. Faustina). She was a Polish girl of limited education and humble means. She lived and died during the Great Depression (1938) and marveled at God’s mercy for all people, especially those who are spiritually destitute. Now depending on how you look at life, Friday and Saturday leading up to today also displayed divine mercies. The awareness of divine... Read more
Some Christian traditions celebrate the Monday immediately following Easter Sunday as a holiday. Easter Monday, as it is called, provides Christians with the opportunity to relish and reflect on the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection at greater length the morning after Easter. Easter Monday is the second day of the Easter Octave (eight days) as well as Eastertide (fifty days). Easter Monday is important given that so many special days in the church calendar took place in quick succession, including Palm... Read more
In this post, I reflect upon the ancient creedal declaration that Jesus “descended into hell.” I connect it to the early Catholic teaching of “limbo” and apply it to my adult son’s ongoing ordeal with TBI. I also consider its import for other people’s extreme suffering. Today is Holy Saturday, which falls between Good Friday that recounts Jesus’ death on a cross and Easter Sunday that celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Many people ask: where did Jesus go after... Read more
This post reflects upon the significance of Maundy Thursday for the whole of the week throughout the church year. Maundy Thursday signifies that there can be no such thing as “Sunday Christians.” Sunday Christians are those who supposedly only live as Christians when they go to church on Sundays. But church is more than a place to go and attend. It is a daily way of being in the world. Every day is a day for obedience to Christ, a... Read more
There is a sense in which Palm Sunday is Calm Sunday. Here I am referring to Jesus’ person. He remains calm amid the highs and lows of that day. Jesus remains calm before the storm that is coming. This post reflects upon Jesus’ calmness of spirit amid the turbulent activity, and how we might follow in his footsteps and be in sync with his heartbeat amid the storms of life. There is a sense of equilibrium, even as the people... Read more
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