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Magnifica Humanitas introduction

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As I alluded to in my previous post here , Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical last week . I was curious about it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Pope Leo is an Augustinian priest. I have read some of his homilies from years past as well as his public pronouncements since he became Pope. Being firmly in the grip of St Augustine of Hippo myself, I was pleased an Augustinian became Pope. I was hoping the new pope would not try to divorce himself from his grounding in the theology of St. Augustine.  Secondly, to new Pope took Leo as his Papal name. There have been several popes of that name, going back to the first Leo (known as Leo the Great) in AD 440. Popes named Leo have had considerable influence in influencing world affairs and Christendom. Leo the Great bargained with Attila the Hun to not sack Rome. Leo II was a large player in the 6th Council of Constantinople. Sadly, Leo VII was complicit in allowing Jews to be violently expelled from Germany in the early 900s. Leo...
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New Papal Encyclical, part 1

 I am going to start working my way through Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical, "MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS." I do recommend you read the full document here .   As with any primary document, do attempt to go into it with an open mind, and let the document speak for itself. I am already seeing all sorts of reactions and critiques starting to pop up online. As usual, such reactions range from the positive to the banal to the "the sky is falling, and we may die" spectrum. Do attempt to be objective and fair in your own reading. Try not to let the ballyhooers cloud your opinion before you even read the first paragraph.  It appears to be a 245 paragraph document (excluding citations and footnotes), containing 5 chapters with an intro and a conclusion. I will try to break this up into sections for digestibility (both yours and my own). I just read the first paragraph before writing this blog entry, and I am already intrigued, but let me read through it before I start launching of...
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True words, and worthy of all men to be received:

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Ghosting

I realize I am quickly becoming a dinosaur from another era when it comes to things like manners and common decency in public places. I am by no means perfect, but I try very hard to be a gentleman in public, and in all things for that matter.  One source of irritation that seems to have become a chronic problem in America in the last 15 years, give or take, is the phenomenon of "ghosting." Perhaps it has been going on for longer, but it was not to my recollection a societal problem until about 10 to 15 years ago. Ghosting is, of course, the social phenomenon of scheduling a face to face meeting (whether in real life or via Zoom/phone) only for one person to just not bother showing up. No notice, no text, no call, no e-mail to say I am not interested in having this meeting or I'm running late or whatever. They just never show and never give a reason why and just "ghost" you. Often, you try to track them down after the fact, only to find they have completely disa...
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When Jesus fixes your garage door...

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 There has to be a country song in this one somewhere: 
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JRR Tolkien Polyphonic Harmonization...

 Sometimes, you just need some JRR Tolkien:
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The Screeching Class

I generally try, as a personal rule, to avoid discussing politics on this blog. I have not always succeeded in this lofty endeavor, but, in general, it's my operating rule of thumb since I started this blog almost 20 years ago now. I admit I have bent this rule on occasion when the realm of politics presents a legitimate moral or ethical problem that deserves some Christian reflection. There is also a personal principle that I have always tried to live out in that I generally do not tell people how to vote. I have my own political opinions and philosophy, and I do personally disagree with some people on their view points and beliefs, but generally, I don't tell people how to vote. I try to get people to think theologically and Biblically on political issues in light of how Christ and the Church have approached politics in the first century.  That is playing with a loaded gun because the Church and politics have been intertwined to one degree or another for centuries, if not fro...
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