Creation of Adam, Michelangelo (Wikimedia Commons). Sunday, Jan. 19. First, the good news: I'm getting lots of reading done. I've even finished three or four chapters of Ilia Delio's "Christ in Evolution" (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2008), and I've had plenty of time to read slowly and think about what I'm reading. Which means I'm beginning to understand … Continue reading Hospital journal 1: A merry romp through abstract theology, Christology, rabbit holes and a lovely prayer for good courage
In the beginning was the metaphor, and it was good: Reading John and Genesis together in a Christmas candlelight service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMafneugQAs&t=4145s Candle lighting ceremony, with reading from Genesis and John, begins at 1:06:24. Sometimes the moment and the liturgy come together so perfectly, I feel like there's nothing I can say that would add to it or subtract from it. The last two or three years, I've had one of those moments during the Christmas … Continue reading In the beginning was the metaphor, and it was good: Reading John and Genesis together in a Christmas candlelight service
Of faith, doubt, ancient creeds, Pope Leo the Great, Attila the Hun and church history (spiritual direction, Jan.-Feb.)
Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director in advance of our session for February. I’ve been writing these for several years now, primarily in order to help me focus my mind before we talk. It’s not a record or an agenda of our sessions. (Often enough, we start discussing something … Continue reading Of faith, doubt, ancient creeds, Pope Leo the Great, Attila the Hun and church history (spiritual direction, Jan.-Feb.)
As Rome fell, a pope fought with Huns, Vandals and Byzantine Christians who had a slightly different version of the creed
Raphael, Leo the Great and Attila, Vatican, 1514 (Wikimedia Commons) At this point, we begin to move from the religion of Jesus (love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, prepare for the End of Days) to the religion about Jesus (he was the Son of God who died to absolve us of our sins). The … Continue reading As Rome fell, a pope fought with Huns, Vandals and Byzantine Christians who had a slightly different version of the creed
What do Constantine and the 4th-century Byzantine church councils tell us about the separation of church and state today?
Constantine Enters Rome, Peter Paul Reubens, 1621 (Wikimedia Commons). Beginning Saturday, I'll be auditing an online Church History Survey course offered by the Central/Southern Illinois Synod, ELCA. In addition to our assigned readings by Justo L. González listed below, we're assigned to write a one-page reflection paper on what we read. The prompt says: "While … Continue reading What do Constantine and the 4th-century Byzantine church councils tell us about the separation of church and state today?
A chemo-infused reflection on Ash Wednesday, St. Francis and the first few signs of spring outside the window
Giotto, 1297-99, Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi, (WikiArt). Welp, I know what I want to give up for Lent this year: Chemotherapy. That's what. Yesterday I celebrated Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, by beginning my last cycle of chemotherapy at the Southern Illinois University medical school's Simmons Cancer Institute. No pancakes, but I did eat … Continue reading A chemo-infused reflection on Ash Wednesday, St. Francis and the first few signs of spring outside the window
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton: If there is a hell, ‘I think it’s empty’
Feb. 18, 2024. This post was written a year ago, and for some reason I never got around to uplinking it until today, when I came across it while researching another post on the general subject of hell. Since that time, the link to the summary quoted below of the original podcast on the Sun-Times … Continue reading ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton: If there is a hell, ‘I think it’s empty’
Praying St. Ignatius’ colloquy with a story from the Talmud about Hillel the Elder and a corny Latin pun by Martin Luther
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APMu32sC2nM There Is No White Jesus | Famalam | BBC Three | April 12, 2017 Editor's (admin's) note. Second of two posts in which I try to imagine an Ignatian Colloquy, a one-on-one conversation with Jesus, on a series of Zoom calls. It's a prayer technique adapted from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. I’ve … Continue reading Praying St. Ignatius’ colloquy with a story from the Talmud about Hillel the Elder and a corny Latin pun by Martin Luther
Ordinary Time 