The Arrow's Path

                Today’s readings all center around the great command that God gives to the Israelites through Moses, which is recounted today in the reading from Deuteronomy . This final book of the Torah is a collection of Moses’ great sermons near the end of his life where he recounts the great deeds God has done for His people and reiterates the Law and the 10 Commandments that came to them on Mount Sinai. The command that is given today is known in Judaism as the Great Shema , which is the word in Hebrew meaning “to hear.” The Shema has a very central place in theology and daily prayer practice of Jews to this day.    The actual words of the command are notoriously hard to translate into English because written Hebrew omits the verbs. The actual words in the command in the original text in Hebrew is only four words. This can be translated any number of ways. The traditional Jewish translation is “The...

                  An enigma is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as a mysterious person, event, or thing that is difficult to understand or explain. The Bible readings today are full of themes and images that at first glance appear to be enigmatic. These readings, however, ultimately point to a greater theological truth about God.                  In the Old Testament reading, the Prophet Jeremiah was often an enigma that the people around him rarely understood. He often came off as gloomy and usually had messages that few people wanted to hear. God was constantly having Jeremiah preach repentance or face the dire consequences of Divine judgment. This was a message that made Jeremiah extremely unpopular. Jeremiah’s words today were preached in the immediate aftermath of God’s judgment that came in the form of military destruction...

       Servant Leadership became a popular business model in the corporate world some years ago. There are even renowned business schools that offer advanced degrees in the philosophy supposedly grounded in the concept that the goal of the leader is to serve. The modern concept seems to have originated with a secular essay by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, but government officials and even some monarchs have fancied themselves as public servants for centuries. Christians going back to the 1st Century have long understood this idea because Jesus introduced the very concept of servant leadership to everyday human endeavor by His very words and actions.           The problem with the secular philosophy of servant leadership is the fact that servants are often treated very poorly. While the idea sounds very good and selfless on the surface and might even make for great public relations slogans, very few people respond well when they ac...

     Presumption can often lead people into very dangerous or sticky situations. Humans have a capacity to convince ourselves that as long as we can do the bare minimums and master the basics, we have accumulated a sufficient amount of knowledge to be in control of all situations that can arise in a given context. Sadly, this sense of control is quite often illusory when serious problems arise. The Bible readings for Mass today remind us that this presumption of mastering the bare minimums is especially ineffective with it comes to love because love simply cannot operate effectively in that way.      The Old Testament reading from the Book of Wisdom is speaking metaphorically about the love of Divine wisdom. The wisdom that God gives is something so precious that this book personifies it, much in the same way as Time is personified as an old man at New Year’s Eve parties or the statue of a blindfolded Lady Justice is found on a courthouse lawn. Divine...

       While not an official feast or solemnity on the regular liturgical calendar, the first Sunday in October has been recognized by the American Catholic Bishops as “Respect Life Sunday” since 1972. Since that time, many Catholic groups across the country have found ways to cultivate a culture of life in our families and communities. Today’s Mass readings complement that theme by giving us some core Bible passages that undergird why respecting life and the family is so critical to our Christian witness.        In the reading from Genesis , we hear the later part of the creation story where the first man and woman are created and joined together. While most people are familiar with the basic Adam and Eve story, the original meanings behind the names are often lost. The name for Eve derives from the Hebrew word that means “life,” for she was the mother of all living people. The name Adam is, likewise, not just the name of the first human but is...

     Today’s Bible readings will no doubt make some people uncomfortable because they may take the hearer outside of his or her preferred comfort zone. There is always great comfort found in believing that we have all the answers and completely understand exactly how God operates. What the Mass readings today remind us is that we should never become too complacent in how we understand God’s work in the world because God may very well be at work in ways we do not see or even understand.        In the Old Testament reading from Numbers , God’s glory descends upon the seventy elders at Mount Sinai, but for reasons unclear, two of the elders were absent from the incident but receive the gift of prophesy anyway. Many of the elders and Joshua grumble that the two should not have received such a magnificent gift because of their tardiness. Moses reminds them all that God can bless whom He choses to bless, and they should never be jealous when God chooses t...

 I have not blogged here in quite some time. I have several personal reasons for why I have been absent, from a minor health problem to an unexpected death in the family. At one point, I was very close to closing this blog permanently. I tried a different blog for a while last year over on Wordpress, but I just didn't like it. I keep coming back in my mind to this blog, even though written blogging has become a bit passe. Everyone has moved on to Youtube channels and vlogs and all that jazz. I am thinking I may resurrect this blog for editorials and theological musings. I am not sure if anyone would be interested in reading it, but I may come back to some semblance of blogging again. I have not officially committed to it in my mind, but I feel I still have things to say. I am at a very different point in my life now from when I started this blog way back in my seminary days. I am no longer an Episcopal priest. I am not longer Anglican for that matter. I am no longer single. I feel ...

Second Reading St Augustine's sermon On Pastors Be a model for the faithful When the Lord had explained what these bad shepherds seek, he also said what they neglect. The defects of the sheep are widespread. There are a very few healthy, fat sheep – that is, those that are made strong by feeding on the truth, by God’s gift making good use of the pastures – but they are not safe from the bad shepherds. Those shepherds not only do not look after the sick, the weak, the wandering and the lost, but they do as much harm as they can to the strong and sleek among the flock. Those sheep survive – by the mercy of God they survive – but the bad shepherds do what they can to kill them.     You may ask how they do this. By living badly, by setting a bad example. There was a reason why the servants of God, eminent among shepherds, were told In everything you do make yourself an example to them of working ...

From the Office of Readings today. Why are we salt? ________ Second Reading From a homily on Matthew by St John Chrysostom, bishop Salt of the earth and light of the world You are the salt of the earth. It is not for your own sake, he says, but for the world’s sake that the word is entrusted to you. I am not sending you only into two cities only or ten to twenty, not to a single nation, as I sent the prophets of old, but across land and sea, to the whole world. And that world is in a miserable state. For when he says: You are the salt of the earth, he is indicating that all mankind had lost its savour and had been corrupted by sin. Therefore, he requires of these men those virtues which are especially useful and even necessary if they are to bear the burdens of many. For the man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just will not keep his good works to himself but will see to it that these admirable fountains send out their strea...

You get called out on social media by a Peer of the Realm over buffoonery in a Cathedral. Yeah, don't talk to me. I am bad and must go sit in a corner of the internet without my tea. Oh, Lord Bishop, one more thing: Thomas Jefferson was right.

If you are interested in a ripping good WWII intrigue this fine afternoon: https ://www.historynet.com/vatican-intrique-priest-outwits-nazies.htm

This will likely blow up more Protestant folks, but this is amazing . This is the beginning of understanding the Catholic mind.

I did not shoot my eye out...

It has been a little strange around here the last few days. My daughter is visiting my parents for about a week, and that is really been the first time she has been away from the house for more than a day or so since she's been born. It just seems strange to have a quiet house. I suppose I'm getting the first taste of being an empty nester. Thankfully, I still have several years before that becomes a permanent phenomenon. However, that day is coming and that right soon. More so than I probably want to think about. I will say I've been amazed at how much I've been able to get done. Before she left, my daughter picked out some colors for her room that she wanted me to repaint while she was gone. It turned out pretty well, although it looks like an Easter egg exploded in there. Pastel colors like blue, pink, and purple are not necessarily my thing, but then I am not a young girl either. It does look pretty good, and I'm sure my daughter would like it. A Pepto-Bismol...

I don't talk politics too much on this blog. I'm actually never have. I will probably going to keep it that way. Politics just makes people crazy these days But, given the latest spat between all manner of people both here and abroad, I just want someone in some government somewhere to be an adult. Is that too much to ask?

Today is the feast day of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, my patroness saint.

I am currently grilling steaks in my backyard. Summer must be here. For once this year, it is not raining.

"Dad, what's it like being left handed?" "Just like being right handed except backwards, and you have a weird sense of humor." "I can tell that, yes..."

The Diocese of Lincoln could learn from this .