War is often dressed up in the language of necessity, honor, or defense—but at its core, it asks us to abandon our humanity. It demands that we dehumanize others, justify violence, and accept suffering as inevitable. For those who look to Jesus Christ as a moral guide, this creates a profound contradiction. His teachings consistently … Read more
The problem is that for some people in the United States, guns have replaced God as the source of their trust and as the authority they turn to in order to resolve conflicts. — Read on www.friendsjournal.org/a-quaker-response-to-gun-violence/
Today I attended Mass at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church on Main Street in Amherst, New York. The church was packed and the service was lovely. For much of this week I have had the recurring thought of the mission of Jesus or maybe the omission of Jesus. The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because … Read more
Earlier today I came upon a quote from Matthew 25 which sums up the Jesus message. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” ~Matthew 25:35 The Jesus message which is often overlooked is about relationships. Too often the … Read more
I’m at St. Mary Parish in Arcade, NY for Eucharistic Adoration and I’m facing a statue of St. Joseph. I’ve come here many times but today I’m struck by the flesh tones of the statue. I grew up in this parish. I served Mass here on this altar many times and I never really appreciated … Read more
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd My rating: 5 of 5 stars A remarkable book of historical fiction. I always enjoy Sue Monk Kidd’s work and this was true to form another great read. This will drive some of the fundamentalists crazy but it’s interesting to reimagine Jesus as he might have actually … Read more
“I’ve never fully understood how Christianity became quite so tame and respectable, given its origins among drunkards, prostitutes, and tax collectors….Jesus could have hung out in the high-end religious scene of his day, but instead he scoffed at all that, choosing instead to laugh at the powerful, befriend whores, kiss sinners, and eat with all … Read more
I stopped by Abbey of the Genesee earlier today and this was one of the paintings displayed in the foyer. It’s probably not completely accurate as Jesus and those he hung out with looked less like Europeans than the images here. Nonetheless,I was struck by the simple relationship they were enjoying sharing a meal together. … Read more
I was reading an article tonight at National Catholic Reporter about the perils of an un-scripted Pope. Apparently Pope Francis extemporaneous comments in his homilies have the Vatican scampering around doing what some might call damage control. I for one am glad we have a Pope who is not scripted. I don’t think Jesus was … Read more
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” — Luke 4:18 Does that sound like current political rhetoric? … Read more
