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December 2018

December 02, 2018

Advent and the Blessing of Being Human

Each Advent for the past eight years, I have had the privilege of giving a...

November 2018

November 29, 2018

Trailing Clouds of Glory, We Come From God

As we approach the Advent and Christmas seasons, I am in a forward-looking and hopeful...

November 25, 2018

Does Christianity Solve the Problem of Evil? (spoiler alert: no, it doesn’t)

In the six-plus years that I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve occasionally been asked what...

November 23, 2018

Black Friday and the War on Christmas

Today is Black Friday, the unfortunate beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Apparently in service...

April 2018

April 01, 2018

An Easter Cautionary Tale: Jesus Isn’t Walking Through That Door

God is not an insurance agent. H. G. Wells During Rick Pitino’s tenure as the...

December 2017

December 31, 2017

He Has Put Down the Mighty . . .

Last Thursday was the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the liturgical day that commemorates King...

December 28, 2017

The Poorest Deserve the Best

Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor...

December 24, 2017

Grace and Peace

Grace means suddenly you’re in a different universe from the one where you were stuck,...

December 22, 2017

A Rashomon Nativity: Why the Details of Jesus’ Birth Don’t Matter

A few weeks ago, I was asked to take on a temporary administrative position in...

December 10, 2017

Silence Is Not Always Golden

Can I schedule an appointment for Friday? Please. I had been waiting and hoping for...

December 07, 2017

Peace Be To You

I was raised in a version of Christianity that had no sense of the liturgical...

November 2017

November 12, 2017

I’m a Christian, But I Won’t Be Saying “Merry Christmas”

A few days ago, reports that Roy Moore, Alabama Republican candidate for the United States...

October 2017

October 31, 2017

A Halloween Frame of Mind

It's Halloween!--one of my least favorite holidays of the year. I know that offends many...

October 05, 2017

Reboot and Retool

We seek retreats for ourselves in country places, on beaches and mountains . . ....

September 2017

September 12, 2017

Soul and Body

This semester I have the privilege of teaching Philosophy of Knowledge, a favorite course that for...

September 08, 2017

When the Well Runs Dry

Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12 In...

September 06, 2017

We Are Not Alone

In last Sunday's gospel reading, Jesus tells us that those who wish to follow him...

June 2017

June 09, 2017

The Little Red-Haired Girl

It is my blog custom on my wife Jeanne's birthday to post a reflection on...

March 2017

March 19, 2017

St. Joseph the Worker

In my religious tradition, we didn’t do saints. We did do Christmas pageants—big time. I...

December 2016

December 28, 2016

Learning Our Lessons

I’ve often said during my close to three decades of teaching philosophy on the college...

December 21, 2016

How Can This Be?

I have a colleague and friend with whom I share a lot in common. Eric...

December 19, 2016

Bring It On

In a recent interview with Krista Tippett on NPR’s On Being, Jesuit author and spiritual...

December 16, 2016

I Will Bring You Home

Baptist preacher's kids get to do some very odd things. I memorized large portions of...

December 09, 2016

The Real War On Christmas

A few days ago I stumbled across one of the most remarkable tweets I have...

May 2016

May 21, 2016

Fear Itself

Long security lines at O'Hare airport. A plane falls out of the sky flying from...

March 2016

March 27, 2016

The Easter Mouse

A couple of years ago, just in time for the Christmas holiday season, a new book...

February 2016

February 26, 2016

Inquiring Minds

Not long ago I had the chance to read a novel by Ian McEwan that...

February 03, 2016

The Wisdom of Violet

All this thinking is highly overrated. Violet, Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey As "Downton Abbey"...

January 2016

January 04, 2016

Reading and Writing

My twenty-plus years teaching at Providence College have afforded me an opportunity every semester for...

January 02, 2016

Goliath was a Wimp: Random Observations for the New Year

The first measurable winter precipitation of the season rolled through town last Monday night, on...

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