A few weeks ago while celebrating Mass at Saint Miriam Parish and Friary in Flourtown PA, the reading for the day was from the Gospel of Saint Luke 4:21-31. This was the lectionary reading from the Sunday before my Monday morning CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) class that I am taking at the Jewish Theological Seminary…
All posts in V4 N2 2016
Lent is For Giving
In the catholic world, most of us grew up learning that during the period of Lent, we should renounce something during the 40 day preparatory period leading up to Palm Sunday and Holy Week. The purpose, of course, was to help us reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice, the grace of the forgiveness of our sins and…
Not in word only
“And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand on the wisdom of man, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (1st Century King James Version) In this passage Saint Paul reminds the…
From the Editor
There is a growing problem in our movement that concerns me greatly. Back when I joined the movement in 1999, there were individuals who spent all their time suing other churches and organizations over the use of their names or over certain combinations of words. They failed to win in the end, however, they made…
A simple primer of the history of the Bible
The Bible is the record of the revelation of God. God does not reveal Himself exclusively through a book, He reveals Himself in many ways, however, mainly through people and in our supreme Savior and Lord. It is only in a secondary way that the Bible can be called a revelation of God. It is…
The Desert Blooms
I had planned a rather long paper on professionalism and ethics in the church, but I quickly became jaded and upset over something that happened at my internship site – something few people in our varied societies get the chance to embrace, let alone experience. My internship is at a site where I can give…
Eden, Sex and Original Sin
The body is seen as holy and its activities are divine. National identities were based on the type of activities moral, social and religious in which the people engaged. Such an indictment is found is Ezekiel 23 where the following descriptions apply regarding the misuse of the qualities God has provided. This lustful appetite for…