Eloquence

True words aren’t eloquent;
eloquent words aren’t true.
Wise men don’t need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren’t wise.

Yesterday as I was in one of the bookstores I visited I read this from the Tao te Ching. I’m always impressed by the wisdom of the Tao. One of the best books I read in the last five years is the Tao of Pooh. I recommend reading it.

Orthopraxis vs. Orthodoxy

“We do not need to theorize about Jesus, we need to “re-produce him” in our time and our circumstances. He himself did not regard the truth as something we simply “uphold” and “maintain” but as something we choose to live and experience. So that our search, like his search, is primarily a search for orthopraxis (true practice) rather than orthodoxy (true doctrine). Only a true practice of the faith can verify what we believe. We can refer to traditional authorities and theological arguments, but what we believe can only be made true, and be seen to be true, in the concrete results which faith achieves in the world–today and tomorrow. The beginning of faith in Jesus , then, is the attempt to read the signs of our times as Jesus read the signs of his times.”–Albert Nolan-“Jesus Before Christianity.

Continue reading “Orthopraxis vs. Orthodoxy”

The crucified

Today on my way to Mass at Mt. Irenaeus I recited the Franciscan Crown Rosary. It’s a prayer that has become more and more a part of my life. I can’t really explain why either. It just has. Nonetheless, I stopped at a convenience mart nearby, bought some gasoline and walked into the store to get some orange juice and eggs. Continue reading “The crucified”

Before Christianity

I’m reading a book that is tough to put down. It’s entitled, “Jesus Before Christianity.” Late last year I read a book, “Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom.” The author is the Provincial of the Dominican Order. He’s a real thinker and I recommend the book to anyone anxious to consider Jesus before he became the object of the church.