During the week before Easter, in the midst of all the sacred processions, weird reenactments, vacationing and feasting, I always find it helpful to revisit the “cleansing of the Temple” story to try and understand its full significance and meaning — not only as it relates to the death of Jesus of Nazareth on Good Friday, but socially, politically…
While it’s unlikely that Pope Francis(formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina) will make much headway in cleaning up the corruption in the Vatican and making the bureaucracy more transparent, or reforming the Catholic Church so that it regains the progressive spirit of Vatican II, it is possible that the new pontiff, with his…
There is little to rejoice about in election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope. Yeah, the Argentines are ecstatic, and Latin Americans, in general, are happy because one of their own has been promoted to the highest office in the Vatican and become the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. But the choice of Cardinal Bergoglio does…
With the start of the papal conclave today in Rome, my bet is on either Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, 68, of Austria or Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez, 70, of Honduras. The choice will depend on whether the 117 Cardinals voting will lean more toward seriously reforming the Catholic Church — notably notably as it relates to the continuing…
As I was walking in the snow to work, the thought popped into my head… “Was Jesus a fair man?” I thought of the things he taught and asked of his followers, and frankly I’ve come to the conclusion (… perhaps belatedly in life) that in fact Jesus was not a fair man. Jesus preached justice throughout his ministry. I think he taught us how to…
I recently attended a forum in which one of themes had to do with the question… Why are our youth not embracing Christianity more than that they are? Why do we not see more people in their teens, 20s and early-30s in church on Sundays? The first thought that came to my mind in response was… “They’re just not buying what the Church…
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6). This verse has always nagged at me because it is so often used to”prove” that Jesus Christ is the only way to “God.” Instinctively, I’ve disagreed with this for as along as I can remember. It is one of the most destructive verses in the Bible because…
It’s a shame that Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) won out over Pelagius (354-418 AD), also known as Morien. I think Christianity would have turned out a lot differently and better had the Briton won out over the north African. Mr. Augustine taught that humankind sinful by nature, and that without the grace of the Creator that sinfulness…
iDSENT 