Today’s first reading comes from Ecclesiastes. There’s some debate over how to understand the sayings of Qoheleth, but I think the correct understanding is that the Book explores the futility of life without God: that even if you try and “live life to the fullest,” without God, that’s ultimately a pretty empty thing. As a… Continue reading Behold, I Make All Things New
Tag: Jesus
Yom Kippur for Christians
Tomorrow night, twenty minutes after sunset, Yom Kippur begins. It’s the Jewish Day of Atonement, described at length in Leviticus 16, and referenced in Exodus 30:10, Leviticus 23:27-31, 25:9, and Numbers 29:7-11. It lasts about twenty-five hours. For the Central Time Zone, then, if I’m not mistaken, it runs from 7:17 pm Friday until 8:17… Continue reading Yom Kippur for Christians
Why “Lord of the Dance” Should be Taken Out of Church
Growing up, my favorite “hymn” was Sydney Carter’s Lord of the Dance, because I found it upbeat and catchy — to be quite frank, it wasn’t far removed, musically, from a lot of popular children’s artists. Raffi, for example, could easily have been a folk-Christian writer, by tweaking his lyrics slightly. Today, I still can… Continue reading Why “Lord of the Dance” Should be Taken Out of Church
Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart!
I. The Sacred Heart of JesusToday’s the Feast of the Sacred Heart, a special reminder that Jesus loves us. Talking about sin, hell, and damnation is important, and has a vital place in our Faith — particularly given how much secular culture has forgotten about the reality of Hell — but it shouldn’t occupy the… Continue reading Happy Feast of the Sacred Heart!
The Five-Fold “Empty Tomb” Argument for the Resurrection
Two days ago, I laid the foundation for the Empty Tomb argument: namely, that the New Testament consists of first-century, seemingly first-hand accounts of the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Testament claims to be an eyewitness account, and is making some mighty bold claims about what the authors saw and heard.… Continue reading The Five-Fold “Empty Tomb” Argument for the Resurrection
The Bible as History and The Empty Tomb
I was asked on Friday what I thought the most compelling arguments for God to use against atheists were. I cited two: Aquinas’ First Cause argument (although upon further reflection, his First Mover argument is probably better); and the evidence from the empty Tomb. The First Cause/First Mover line of argumentation is cosmological and deals… Continue reading The Bible as History and The Empty Tomb
Ecumenism and the Holy Name of Jesus
Yesterday was an absolute feast on the subject of ecumenism and the Holy Name of Jesus at Mass. I. Acts 23:6-11, the Wages of Disunity The first reading was Acts 23:6-11 (with a prologue from Acts 22:30, setting the scene): Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul was being accused by the Jews, the… Continue reading Ecumenism and the Holy Name of Jesus
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
St. Paul Summarizes the Old Testament
I. Acts 13Today’s First Reading, from Acts 13, finds St. Paul and his companions in the synagogue on the Jewish Sabbath. After “the reading of the law and the prophets,” the men are asked if any of them has “a word of exhortation” to share. Paul then gets up, motions with his hand, and says… Continue reading St. Paul Summarizes the Old Testament
“Breaking Bread” and the Eucharist
Luke 24:41-42 has an interesting account of Jesus post-Resurrection: “And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. “What strikes me about this… Continue reading “Breaking Bread” and the Eucharist