Desert Father stories tend to belong to a genre of literature called wisdom stories. The purpose of the stories does not tend to be doctrinal, though there are exceptions, but practical. They teach you how to live the Christian life, how to think and behave not only “Christianly” but in a generally ethical manner as […]
What do these Desert Fathers have in common?
Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, “Abba as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?”‘ then the old man stood up […]
Why do we use bread and wine?
If you read the controversy in St. John 6, you know of the revulsion that the Jews felt when Jesus told them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. However, I found the following description from the Desert Fathers to be even more graphic on our use of bread and wine. This […]
Of platypuses and doctrine-mixing Christians
In one of his first comments, Fr. Orthoduckâ„¢ spoke about various “ducky” Christians he knew and said: But, I must admit that none of us is quite sure what to do about those who have so absorbed various ducktrines from various groups that they are no longer ducks but have become duck-billed platypuses. But this is a challange […]
Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?
One of the events that Hollywood portrays periodically is the deathbead conversion. You know what I am talking about. The character has been resistant to whatever. But, then, a deathbed experience–which they may or may not survive–changes the mind of the person. Somehow, as they are about to die, a sudden clarity comes to their […]
Introducing Fr. Orthoduck
There will be a new “character” on this blog, Fr. Orthoduckâ„¢. Who is Fr. Orthoduckâ„¢? Sometimes Fr. Orthoduckâ„¢ will be my alter ego. He will be less well-behaved version of myself when he is in that role. He will tackle those subjects that are a little controversial or perhaps those subject about which I wish […]
The treatment of illegal Latinos
A new report  about Latinos illegaly living in the USA came out today that says in part: They are routinely cheated out of their earnings and denied basic health and safety protections. They are regularly subjected to racial profiling and harassment by law enforcement. They are victimized by criminals who know they are reluctant to […]
Torture and religious politics
Recently, the first of the memorandums on interrogation techniques were released. They make difficult reading. In fact, in language that is every bit the equal of the clinical language found in files from both the old Soviet Union and the WWII German archives, they describe in detail the painful techniques used to break a person […]
Surgery postponed
Well, unexpectedly, the anesthesiologist postponed my surgery late yesterday. He said he did not like the way that my EKG looked, so I have to go to a cardiologist on Wednesday. Will keep you updated.
Did CS Lewis go to heaven?
“Did CS Lewis go to heaven?” is the title of a provocative monograph published back in 2003. You can read it here. Its provocative conclusion is: So we ask again: Did C. S. Lewis go to Heaven? And our answer must be: Not if he believed what he wrote in his books and letters. To […]
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