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May 2018

May 02, 2018

The Eternally Earthy: The Middle Way of Christianity

The happy human is betwixt looking up to the stars yet with feet on good earth....

May 01, 2018

Look Past the Temporal to the Eternal in Politics (Dante on US Politics)

There is a medicine for what is making us sick politically: A good dose of...

April 2018

April 26, 2018

In which I hymn Athena

Athena, You came into our lives in a small way and then grew in importance....

April 24, 2018

Brutus: the good man corrupted?

Most of us are just good enough to be John Wilkes Booth, but a few...

April 23, 2018

Barbara Bush, The Last Roman Matron: Honoring Mothers, and Avoiding the Unctuous

Barbara Bush was (so far as I can tell) a very good wife, mother, grandmother,...

April 20, 2018

The Problem of Pitiable Pain

The Agony of the Delayed Flight I think the person in despair, because of our...

April 19, 2018

Plain Faith: Pray, Give to the Poor, Be Ready

Last week we ate some feast food, literally (lamb!) and spiritually. The Holy Week and...

April 18, 2018

Being Reasonable Beats Being Afraid (Unless It is Reasonable to be Afraid)

Some fears are rational, eating sushi from a street vendor in Charleston, and some, fear...

April 17, 2018

God’s Action versus Our Need to Act (Don’t Be John Wilkes Booth)

As I try to understand our mess on race here in the United States, I...

April 15, 2018

International Law: the Best Bad Case for Syrian Intervention

Attacking Syria is not just. Why? As Lindsey Graham put it: “Unless something changes, we...

April 08, 2018

Renouncing Pomps

As one gets ready to become a Christian, a tough question is asked: “Do you...

April 07, 2018

Our Exercise Will Someday Be Done

As a quick glance at my profile at different times in my life would show,...

April 05, 2018

The Prophet Did Not Know

What is happening? What is God doing? We ask this question at times of great...

April 01, 2018

Palm Sunday Donkey on Easter Day

2018 presented a calendar gap for Christians. 2017 was universal Easter where everybody had a...

March 2018

March 31, 2018

Borrow an Umbrella (Easter When You Need Easter)

If you are Hope, the Fairest Flower in Christendom, and you face Jamaica's sun, then...

March 29, 2018

Finding a Soul in God’s Image (Reflections on a Brothers Karamazov Discussion)

Pascha is the season of love. Love is the fundamental passion, the disposition to which...

March 28, 2018

On Not-So-Divine Images

Be an icon, not an idol. Humans cannot...

March 25, 2018

The Annunciation: Saying “Yes” to God

Mary said “yes” to God. A woman’s consent was the pivot point of history. We...

March 24, 2018

You’ve Been Left Behind: Remembering the Larry Norman Song

Satan Rules! It is on a record if you play it backwards! We used to...

March 21, 2018

Mercy and Help for the Powerless

You cannot read the Bible well and not wish to help the poor and the...

March 18, 2018

Three Billboards and Some Orange Juice

The movie Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri tried too hard to be Best Picture. As a...

March 17, 2018

Authentic Authenticity

Authenticity seems like a great goal. Who wants to talk to someone pretending to be...

March 15, 2018

The First World Series Win (Go Astros!), the Packers, Fandom, Marriage, and Next Season

When we moved to Houston, friends could not give away tickets to an Astros game....

March 14, 2018

Oprah is the Book of Judges: Every Man Does What Seems Right In the Tyrant’s Eyes

The Book of Judges ends with a sad description: “A man did what right according...

March 13, 2018

A Sadness that Does not Lead to Despair (Consolation of Philosophy)

I am often (deservedly) sad. This sadness is especially appropriate for the wrongs I have...

March 12, 2018

Timeless Providence

Boethius was a good man, but a tyrant was about to kill him. This is...

March 11, 2018

Can you ask God to leave?

We once told our son we were praying while at Disneyland. Our little boy pointed...

March 10, 2018

Still Sad: the Ongoing Pain of Death

Death has made me cry lately. That’s a Christian response to suffering. Jesus wept. We...

March 07, 2018

Decree Justice

Here is a statement from God’s messenger: Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and...

March 06, 2018

No Party at a Public Hanging (The Consolation of Philosophy)

Nobody should have a party at a hanging, even if the hanging is just. We...