The Real is always more than what we think God is. God! God! Rid me of God! This was the holy prayer of the Dominican mystic, Meister Eckhart (d. 1328)—“I pray therefore, God rid me of God” (Sermon 52). They called him a heretic, but perhaps he was the one Dominican who truly understood St. Thomas Aquinas. Both knew that always God is more. The Real is always more. Like Aquinas, Meister Eckhart tasted the green mango. You can write longwinded treatises... Read more
It is less important to affirm or deny the Marian dogmas than why you do so. When it comes to Mary and Christianity, Billy Joel’s song “I Go to Extremes” always comes to mind. It is difficult to find a balanced approach to our sister and fellow-creature, Mary. At one extreme, Christians think there is nothing special about the Mother of Jesus. On the other, Mary is the center of everything, practically the fourth person of the Trinity. Want a balanced and “o” orthodox approach... Read more
May is the month of the Blessed Mother, but can we even see the real Mary of History? May is the month of mothers and of Mary, most holy. How easy it is to substitute the real Mary for a cultural congenial idealized motherhood. We U.S. Christians do this with Jesus so often. Why? Because a culturally congenial Jesus who buys American values is easy for us to swallow. And just like we wouldn’t tolerate a Jesus who doesn’t buy American... Read more
Lowly and poor was the village tektōn Jesus, just above the degraded and expendable of first-century Palestine. How lowly was Jesus? In other words, how low was Jesus’ honor ranking? To find out, we will need to explore village life and rural peasants of first-century Galilee. Forget about the Sunday School pictures and Jesus movies—they aren’t honest to the reality. Here is a presentation detailing just how low and why Jesus confused everyone when he spoke publicly— Very Lowly Jesus was near the... Read more
Here’s an illuminating argument between Catholic family members all devoted to St. Joe. St. Joe. The worker. Eleven am in the morning, Saturday, May 1st. Two hours after a meditation was sent between family members. Daniel Leon (oral and maxillofacial surgeon texting from his home in Hudson Yards, Mid-Town Manhattan): Happy St. Joseph the Worker! I just wanted to say hello and send my fam that beautiful reflection! What do you all think? Have you had a chance to read it? Mom (retired attorney,... Read more
Catholics frequently twist Jesus into Superman via a common Docetic addiction. We Catholics and other Christians suffer from Docetic addiction. It is challenging to shake our affinity for the ancient heresy of Docetism (in Greek, δοκεῖν or δόκησις meaning “to seem”), the idea that Jesus was God disguised as a man. Perennially it returns to us, garbed in verbal orthodoxy, but upon careful examination gets unmasked as something other (in Greek, hetero) than what we as Church profess. Despite our Docetic... Read more
Jesus mastered a Mediterranean social game to defend and acquire his honor. Social experts explain that the circum-Mediterranean world has been conflict-prone for millennia. This is the cultural world of Jesus, called “meek” and “gentle.” Meek and gentle Jesus, master of the insult? Yeah, right. Is there ever a time in the gospels when Jesus isn’t involved in some conflict? If so, those times are very few. Same thing with his followers! Like Jesus, they are always pissing people off and... Read more
Here’s a story about what happens when a parish gives a manipulator or sociopath a ministry leadership position. Ever encounter a sociopath leading a ministry group? I have. Do you know any ministry leader that is a manipulator? I do. I know many. Do you think God protects the Catholic Church from enabling a sociopath or a manipulator as ministry leaders? Think again. Often we create the perfect nest for these types to blossom into spiritual calamities. Here’s a brief... Read more
Growing numbers of biblical scholars believe that any mention of Jews in Scripture translations is erroneous. Just another quick post here. I have been blogging recently on what is meant by “people,” particularly the Jewish people. Then, in my last post, I got into the subject of a Jewish homeland and “Jewish DNA.“ What was presented there makes apparent that there were no Jews 2,000 years ago. But if indeed there were no Jews before 500 CE, why then are... Read more
Jewish people are a spiritual reality, so take care when imagining their homeland and genetic heritage. Yesterday, I posted a blog asking questions about what “people” means. Please read it and carefully reflect on it before tackling this piece. Doing so, you’ll recognize that it presents ideas that might be earthshattering to many people. It dealt particularly with how the Jewish people are understood in various contexts, sometimes unfamiliar to average Christians or even Jews. I indicated the problem with spurious... Read more
Messy Inspirations
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