The Arrow's Path

    Why are we still celebrating Easter several weeks after Holy Week? The Church invites us during these seven weeks of Easter to reflect on the centrality of the Resurrection as it pertains to our witness, hope, and unity. On this culmination of the Easter season, the readings today remind us of the transformative power of the resurrection and the call to live as witnesses to Christ's love all year.     In the Acts of the Apostles 7:55-60, we encounter the martyrdom of St. Stephen, who, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazes into heaven and sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at His right hand. Stephen’s vision is a powerful testament to the reality of the risen Christ and the hope that sustains believers even in the face of persecution and death. His unwavering faith and willingness to forgive those who are stoning him reflect the essence of Christian witness. Stephen’s martyrdom serves as a poignant reminder that the call to follow Christ often involv...

This is going to sounds extremely maudlin, but the practice, and even the concept, of cremation is something that has interested me since my Anglican seminary days when I really first encountered it as an adult. Where I grew up in the Bible Belt Appalachia, cremation was simply not a thing. I don't think any reputable funeral parlor did them or even had the capacity to do them if requested. It was simply not culturally or religiously acceptable to virtually any one to my recollection.  There were maybe a few exceptions in a few of the wealthy parishes and maybe one of the synagogues in downtown Knoxville that had columbaria to place ashes near a main altar or a place on the house of worship's grounds. But if memory serves, that was more for what remained of bodies burned up in like a horrendous car crash or sometimes even for instances when there was no body at all but people wanted some place to have a small interment of a deceased's personal effects like a teddy bear from...

 I don't quite agree with everything he says, but the way he frames this discussion is excellent. I, too, often get tired of listening to discussions both pro and con of Sola Scripture. He says, "They often miss the point..." I completely agree with that.

 

     The phrase "Peace I leave you, My peace I give you," from John 14:27 serves as a declaration of Christ's promise to His disciples. These final words of Jesus from the Last Supper encapsulated the essence of His mission and the transformative power of His presence. This theme of peace is found in all of today’s Bible readings, which contributes to a broader understanding of peace as both a gift and a call to action within the Christian community.      In Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2, 22-29, the early Church is grappling with significant theological and cultural tensions, particularly regarding the inclusion of Gentiles in the faith. The Council of Jerusalem convenes to address these issues, emphasizing the importance of unity and harmony within the community. The decision to send a letter to the Gentile believers, outlining the necessary guidelines for their inclusion, reflects a commitment to peace and mutual understanding. This context highlights that...

 This Orthodox priest gets it right...

What kind of games do I recommend to get people into gaming who are on the fence and don't have a lot of background on gaming? I would generally suggest a game that has a good balance of not being too complicated but still fun but enough of a challenge to make sure they want to come back and play it again. I think sometimes we recommend games that are too simple and it reinforces the idea that games are too childish, or we err in the opposite direction and want to break people in to games that, while great games, are way too complicated for someone whose only reference for games are moldy oldies like Clue or Monopoly. I also suggest a game that has good quality production. Nice tokens, nice art work, nice quality cards. You want something that's not the cheap paper Monopoly money or the games that have really cheap cardboard chips and chits that make it seem cheap or shabby. Thirdly, I think you need to get a game that concisely tells a good story or has a good theme. There are...

 

I had a query about the Seal of the Confessional, probably stemming from that new law in a West Coast state forcing priests to break the seal of the Confessional and report to authorities on certain sins like child abuse, etc. My general response is this: A couple of things to keep in mind (and I write this as a former Episcopal priest who heard confessions): firstly, the priest can attempt during the Confessional to ask the person's permission to talk to them outside the Confessional about a particular chain of events. The penitent can absolutely always say no to that. The priest can also strongly recommend that the person turn themselves in and/or go talk to a counselor outside the Confessional. So, it is not that the priest has no agency whatsoever within the Confessional to explore options with the Penitent on how the Penitent can proceed outside the Confessional. Again, the Penitent can absolutely refuse to do any of that, and that is his or her right. There is a r...