Philemon was a prominent first-century Christian who owned a slave named Onesimus. Although the name “Onesimus” means “useful,” Onesimus proved himself “useless” when he ran away from his master and perhaps even stole from him (Philemon 18). Somehow Onesimus came . . . . Continue Reading »
Valentine’s Day shouldn’t come and go without at least a mention. There’s enough myth going around about the origin of the holiday to commission a scholar to cut to the chase. This was done by the Teaching Company a good while back, I took some notes, and herewith the gritty . . . . Continue Reading »
NYT columnist Nicholas D. Kristof writes today about another one of those “conservatives are from Venus, liberals from Mars,” kind of studies that come along from time to time. Supposedly, we are hard wired to our political persuasions, as evidenced by our reactions to various . . . . Continue Reading »
So I finaly saw CRAZY HEART. It’s supposed to remind you of TENDER MERCIES. There’s another old-guy, almost has-been brilliant country singer/songwriter turned around by a beautiful single mom with a father-starved little boy. Robert Duvall shows up in CRAZY HEART as the only real . . . . Continue Reading »
I reported earlier on the Rom Houben case that made international headlines when it turned out that he had been misdiagnosed by his physicians as unconscious for 26 years. New diagnostic techniques showed near normal brain function. And, it appeared, he could communicate with the help of a . . . . Continue Reading »
I want to sidestep the brief, silly article running in Esquire about the increasing number of “kaleidoscopically shifting arrangements” we honor with the name family, but I also want to use it to frame what I think ought to emerge as a new vein to be mined in the sometimes . . . . Continue Reading »
The Scripture Readings Appointed for Quinquagesima Introit: Ps. 31:1, 5, 9, 16; antiphon: Ps. 31:2b–3Psalm of the day: Psalm 89:18-29 (antiphon: 20)Old Testament: 1 Samuel 16:1–13Gradual: Psalm. 77:14–15Epistle: 1 Corinthians 13:1–13Verse: Ps. 100:1–3Gospel: Luke . . . . Continue Reading »
Cardinal asks dialogue partners if an ecumenical catechism might workBy Cindy WoodenCatholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Vatican official has floated the idea of a shared “ecumenical catechism” as one of the potential fruits of 40 years of dialogue among Catholics, . . . . Continue Reading »
The clique that fashioned themselves “the scientists” who mattered about global warming worked hard to keep their in crowd status. But now, that the IPCC’s credibility has gone Humpty Dumpty, and Climategate having revealed the lengths which some scientists took to control the . . . . Continue Reading »
One of the many clichés of book titling is the “____ is a verb” trick. It’s supposed to grab your attention, be a little disorienting, and suggest that _____ is full of unexpected action and energy. For example, a quick search shows that “Life is a Verb,” . . . . Continue Reading »
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