Introduction Yesterday I delivered Meals on Wheels, a short route that time with only seven stops. The last stop was to see a gentleman who is 102 years old. I’ve delivered to him for at least two years. He used to meet me at the door with a welcoming smile and tell me how glad […]
Saint Peter Chrysologous was a bishop of the early church, a preacher so skilled in his presentation of the Truth that he is known as the “Doctor of Homilies.” He was born about 350 years after the resurrection of Jesus and lived about 70 years, finally as Bishop of Ravenna, a city in northern Italy […]
I just finished reading A Good Man, Mark K. Shriver’s highly personal biography of his dad, Sargent Shriver. Probably few people under the age of forty have heard of Mr. Shriver, but a few essential facts are well documented in Wikipedia, and there is no need for me to try to reword them. Robert Sargent […]
The meaning of “wealthy” has changed significantly over the centuries. In Biblical times, Abraham was declared wealthy because of his “flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and donkeys.” His son, Isaac, “had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him.” Isaac’s son, Jacob, […]
Looking through some old stuff from my seminary retirement hobby I found this paper on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It was an assignment for the History of Christianity course taught by Dr. Mary Havens. Bonhoeffer is an especially interesting character because of the inherent contradiction of a minister with a reputation for pacifism both entertaining thoughts […]
Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. – Mark 10:18 That is the response of Jesus to a man who had just knelt before him, addressed him as “Good teacher,” and asked about eternal life. I always have trouble identifying irony (I’m a chemical engineer, after […]
I have been reading, for the second time, The Catechism of the Catholic Church and am now in Part Three – Life in Christ. The reading reminded me of one of the most challenging courses I took during three years at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Theology of Salvation, taught by Professor David Yeago. That was […]
A few times I have used the Boy Scout Law, (“A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”) as a good list of desirable traits for one to develop. Somewhere this week I saw something about a list of virtues, Googled that, and found that The Catholic […]