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2020-06-08T04:26:02-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Talk of the Three-in-One

Last updated on: June 8, 2020 at 4:26 am By Avellina Balestri

Trinity Sunday is often joked about in Christian circle as that day anyone can easily fall into heresy via poor analogies for an incomparable mystery. Some insist the topic should not even be broached unless one has a theology degree, and even then its a matter that treads thin ice. I, however, take for granted that analogies are inherently imperfect, not depicting what a thing is but rather highlighting certain aspects that are loosely comparable. They are useful in as... Read more

2020-06-08T04:30:09-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Complexity of History and the Human Condition

Last updated on: June 8, 2020 at 4:30 am By Avellina Balestri

It is my heartfelt belief that history, and historical figures, are as inherently complex as the human condition itself, and need to be viewed in the context of their era, upbringing, and evolution, as well as the fact that individuals can and do have genuinely good and genuinely bad qualities at the same time. All too often, people pick and choose what they want to fixate on, whether it’s through a romantic retelling, purging the bad aspects only to emphasize... Read more

2020-06-02T05:43:22-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Overcoming Evil with Good

Last updated on: June 2, 2020 at 5:43 am By Avellina Balestri

There is nothing like inhumanity to remind us that we are human. Tell yourself all you like that you are a piece of electric meat, a random causation of evolutionary theory, and all sense of reality is an accident of perception, of a mental machine grown too strong for its own good, with shocks and shatterings that make it think it is something more than a hard-wiring for the survival of a species. Tell yourself you are purely tangible, a... Read more

2020-10-22T06:26:40-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Oh, Ye Lovers!: A Meditation on Mawlana Rumi and St. John of the Cross

Last updated on: October 22, 2020 at 6:26 am By Avellina Balestri

“The people of the city, young and old Were all lamenting, crying, sighing loud The villagers as well as Turks and Greeks, They tore their shirts from grief for this great man. ‘He was our Jesus!’- thus the Christians spoke. ‘He was our Moses!’ – said the Jews of him…” ~ A contemporary account of Mawlana Rumi’s funeral “What a wonderful thing it is For two souls to understand each other, For they neither lack something to say, Nor grow... Read more

St. John of the Cross

Sufi

2020-07-08T21:13:24-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Systemic Sins Matter

Last updated on: July 8, 2020 at 9:13 pm By Avellina Balestri

The news seems to be flooded these days of terrible updates. From killer viruses to murder hornets, we find ourselves afraid to leave our doorsteps. Perhaps we have been now called to focus upon yet another disease eating away at us, one which has gone on too long without being taken seriously enough, or excused as simply “one off” incidences which bear no connection to a deeper stream of consciousness or trend within our society. I believe the time has... Read more

2020-05-23T07:10:02-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Amazing Grace” Movie Review

Last updated on: May 23, 2020 at 7:10 am By Avellina Balestri

There are pathetically few movies that are able to deal with political themes and still maintain a human touch that transcends the specialist category. But one of them on the top of the list is Amazing Grace, a biopic of the man who was instrumental in bringing an end to the British Slave Trade. As a period piece, it excels for good taste, balance, and a keen ability to connect the past with the present. As a story, it succeeds... Read more

2020-05-20T05:07:45-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Christian Response to a Dawah Pamphlet

Last updated on: May 20, 2020 at 5:07 am By Avellina Balestri

The following is a rather lengthy response I made to a Muslim friend who sent what I believe was an online pamphlet of sorts from a Dawah site, comparing Christian and Muslim beliefs, and I figured I would post it for the sake of general reference, because some aspects of it rang true to our beliefs, but others were a rather simplistic reading of Christian theology. My apologies if I’m just repeating what I’ve already said a bunch of times... Read more

2020-10-22T06:30:02-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Ravens of the Rhondda

Last updated on: October 22, 2020 at 6:30 am By Avellina Balestri

There is a legend in the Rhondda Valley of Wales about a young shepherd named Gafan, whose flaming red hair matched his fiery pride. He was quick with the sling and keen with his knife blade, eager to defend his flocks or his name if either came under attack. Yet more importantly still, he had the clarity of soul and presence of mind to encounter beings of the higher realms who recognized his warrior’s heart and sought to test him,... Read more

2020-05-14T08:02:50-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Mary, Fatima, and the Sacred Feminine

Last updated on: May 14, 2020 at 8:02 am By Avellina Balestri

In the month of May, Catholics focus particular attention on the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of faith. On May 13th, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima is observed, commemorating the first apparition to three shepherd children in a small town of Fatima in Portugal. Her core message was to call for people to repent from sin and turn back to God, as well as urge the faithful to prayer for the conversion of sinners... Read more

2020-05-12T04:22:50-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“A Man for All Seasons” Movie Review

Last updated on: May 12, 2020 at 4:22 am By Avellina Balestri

As one of the only movies to make a Catholic English Martyr its main focus, A Man for All Seasons has always held a special place in my Catholic Anglophile heart. But aside from that, I also believe the film has a philosophical quality and spiritual poignancy that transcends subject matter and makes it one of the greatest cinematic achievements. If art is meant to teach us more about our true selves, as opposed to simply serving as an opiate... Read more

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