participate

The (ab)use of Easter

Noted Evangelical author Rick Warren said, in a recent article in The Christian Post: Use Easter to Break a Growth Barrier Every church hits a wall in growth, that attendance barrier your church can’t seem to get past. Maybe it’s 50, 100, 1,000, or 10,000. It doesn’t matter. One of the best chances you’ll have all year to pass that barrier is at Easter. . . . Leverage the day. Make sure you’re... [Read more]

careers

Bridegroom service and the meaning of hypocrisy

Yesterday’s Gospel reading for the Holy Week Bridegroom Services included the following passage from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew: Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.... [Read more]

Morning people and monks

I admire monks. I admire their dedication, their willingness to sacrifice in order to grow in holiness. I admire that many monks make a commitment to reach out to the poor and to fulfill Christ’s command to take care of the needy. But, I especially admire their capability to get up in the night hours and the morning hours and complete their prayer unto the Lord. I have never been a morning person.... [Read more]

forum

You know you have drunk too much when . . .

Police: Drunk Pa. Man Tried To ‘Revive’ Opossum PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. State police have charged a central Pennsylvania man with public drunkenness after he was seen giving mouth-to-mouth “resuscitation” to a long-dead opossum along a highway. Trooper Jamie Levier says several witnesses saw 55-year-old Donald Wolfe, of Brookville, near the animal along Route 36 in Oliver Township... [Read more]

Bishop vesting in the solea????

Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America said, “You take a man, stand him in the middle of a Church, dress him up like a Byzantine emperor and tell him you want him to live forever… it’s no wonder Bishops get screwed up.” partner Read More →

podcast

Monk wanna be

Pithless Thoughts did it to me again! When I saw this “magazine cover,” I laughed and laughed. And, then, I wondered whether I should be crying. Yes, it challenged me again. Sadly, we have some monk wanna be people in Orthodoxy. It is a serious enough problem that our bishops had to address the issue more than once. What do I mean by “monk wanna be?” Well, let’s just... [Read more]

support

Pilgrimages and delusion

I must admit that this cartoon from Pithless Thoughts quite challenged me. I have been to several countries. In those countries, I have visited the tombs of famous saints, or their places of death. I have visited famous cathedrals, or monasteries. I have imagined what it would be like to have stood up to evil people in the Coliseum. And, of course, I have imagined myself reacting quite heroically.... [Read more]

Roman Catholic bishops, healthcare, and pro-life

Yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a statement to go along with the signing of the new healthcare bill by President Obama. I posted the statement yesterday on this blog, but it can also be found here. It, and the letter to Congress that I also posted yesterday, are important statements, both for what it says concerning healthcare and what it says about pro-life in... [Read more]

Update on Catholic bishops, healthcare, and Obama

The statement below is fresh today from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It addresses both healthcare and the bill that was just signed. For nearly a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for reform of our health care system so that all may have access to the care that recognizes and affirms their human dignity. Christian discipleship means, “working to... [Read more]

Healthcare reform, the Church, and pro-life

Several times over the last few weeks, I have been desirous of posting a more complete balanced statement on what I see as being pro-life and its relation to the healthcare debate. But, I never did. The reason was that I could not find the words to say something succinctly without sounding tendentious. Being pro-life is such an important issue that I feared to cheapen it by trying to write a post with... [Read more]