Author: Joe Heschmeyer

Why Doesn’t John’s Gospel Mention the Institution of the Eucharist?

I’ve wondered in the past why John’s Gospel doesn’t include the Institution of the Eucharist. John’s Gospel is heavily Eucharistic, and notes that Jesus’ Eucharistic discourse occurs at the time of the Passover (John 6:4), a year before the Institution itself. And when he gets to the Last Supper, the point at which the Synoptic… Continue reading Why Doesn’t John’s Gospel Mention the Institution of the Eucharist?

Movie Review: Babies

The biggest casualty in the culture wars has been babies. At the extreme, they’re literally casualties, with millions of infants being murdered in the womb. But beyond that, the societal view of babies is more negative than perhaps at any point in its past. Babies are viewed as a burden, where they were once viewed… Continue reading Movie Review: Babies

Published
Categorized as Uncategorized Tagged

Msgr. William J. Awalt on the Eucharist

I was reading about Judge Robert Bork’s conversion to Catholicism, and he said: After I wrote Slouching Toward Gomorrah the priest at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., Msgr. William Awalt, told me that my views on matters seemed to be very close to those of the Catholic views, which was true. Not being… Continue reading Msgr. William J. Awalt on the Eucharist

St. Paul’s Vision of the Law as a Teaching Slave

Galatians 3 is one of St. Paul’s finest expositions of the relationship between Christianity and the Mosaic Law. The chapter is part of an epistle written in opposition to a camp of early Christians in Galatia known as Judaizers, who held that Christian salvation required adherence to the entire Mosaic Law. In response to this,… Continue reading St. Paul’s Vision of the Law as a Teaching Slave

Babies and Morality

The New York Times has a fascinating report on infant morality (not mortality, mind you). The author is a child psychologist/researcher at Yale. Here’s a few of the highpoints. The piece begins with an interesting anecdote: Not long ago, a team of researchers watched a 1-year-old boy take justice into his own hands. The boy… Continue reading Babies and Morality

What We Can Learn from the Sacrifice of Isaac

This is adapted from a final I turned in yesterday which examined the difference between obeying the letter and spirit of the law in a number of contexts. The term “telos” means “purpose or end,” so when I refer to the “teleological role of the law,” I’m referring to the function which the law has.… Continue reading What We Can Learn from the Sacrifice of Isaac

Pet Care for “Left Behind” Animals After the Rapture

You can’t make this stuff up. Fundamentalist Dispensationalists are teaming up with athiests to take care of their pets after the Rapture leaves the pets (and the atheists) behind (h/t Bloomberg Businessweek): Many people in the U.S.—perhaps 20 million to 40 million—believe there will be a Second Coming in their lifetimes, followed by the Rapture.*… Continue reading Pet Care for “Left Behind” Animals After the Rapture

Happy Mother’s Day, Mary!

Three quick notes for this Mother’s Day: Happy Mother’s Day for all the mothers out there, especially the new mothers. A friend of mine and his wife are celebrating their first Mother’s Day together (she’s due in August), so special prayers for them today. Heard about an interesting tradition: buying flowers, and laying them in… Continue reading Happy Mother’s Day, Mary!

Cardinal Pell: Mandatory Ad Orientem

This is old news (March 2009), but given that Cardinal Pell looks like a serious contender for the top spot at Congregation for Bishops, I thought I’d mention that in an interview last year, Pell was asked if he favored making ad orientem posture mandatory. He replied: “Yes. Now there’s nothing like a consensus in… Continue reading Cardinal Pell: Mandatory Ad Orientem