The Arrow's Path

 There has to be a country song in this one somewhere: 

 Sometimes, you just need some JRR Tolkien:

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...

I have a friend who, like myself, was largely kicked out of the established Anglican church. While I went to Rome, he decided to go more Protestant, or at least more conservative Anglican. In the Catholic world, he would largely be labeled a "rad trad" but he has a good heart. While I don't agree with him on some things, he does understand about what it means to be a church planter, something that I think both the Catholic Church and other ecclesial bodies or denominations are not exceptionally good at as whole.  There are exceptions, of course. Religious orders and certain Protestant denominations that do church planting well do it very well indeed, but on the whole, it's a mixed bag of (some) success and (more likely) failure. Church planting is extremely hard, but in some ways might actually be easier than entering an existing church that is dying or dead because you get to start with a clean slate.  He wrote a very insightful substack article on his experience 2.5...

     Divine Mercy Sunday is a profound occasion for Catholics to reflect on the boundless mercy of God and the importance of receiving the Eucharist. In many Dioceses around the country, many children receive First Communion on this day. The readings on this Sunday of the Divine Mercy offer us many insights into the significance of this sacrament called the Eucharist, particularly on a day dedicated to celebrating God's mercy.      The Acts of the Apostles is the second half of the Gospel of Luke . In Acts 2:42-47, we encounter the early Christian community just shortly after the Resurrection. This earliest of Christian communities is devoted to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and the prayers. Today’s passage highlights the central role of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. The breaking of bread signifies not only the physical act of sharing a meal, but also the spiritual nourishment that comes from receiving Christ in Communion...

I had a question posed to me as follows: One thing that I've struggled with is which parts of the bible to take literally, which parts are interpretive, and which are pure allegory for something else? Is every word from the words of the letters of Paul to be set in stone and unmovable? Are we to take the Book of Kings or the Book of Issiah as clear history? My response: OK, let's talk about the basic Catholic approach to interpreting Scripture. It's a bit different than a lot of methods in the Protestant realm(s). The Church interprets Scripture through the 4 Senses of Scripture. So of like the lenses of your glasses to help you to read. If you are looking through the lens of a wrong prescription, your view of the object is distorted or fuzzy.    A lot of Protestants get sucked into this "It's either literal or figurative but it can't be both" dichotomy. The way we interpret Scripture in the Catholic tradition is not an either/or distinction. I ...