wonderful thoughts from the Pope, intellectually coherent and practically relevant and doable IMO
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 3: The Meaning of Baptism
Read MORE: Lesson 3: The Meaning of BaptismEarly Christians felt baptism was so important they built their houses of worship near running water whenever possible. Those who have visited ancient churches in their travels have seen many were constructed right over springs so that baptisms could be…
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Lesson 2: Sacrament as God’s Bodily Presence
Read MORE: Lesson 2: Sacrament as God’s Bodily PresenceThe sacraments remind us that Christians claim that God is more than spirit. Although most of us can remember having defined God as a spirit at various times, the Church has insisted God is a person. And we all know…
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Lesson 1: Sacraments as a Means of Grace
Read MORE: Lesson 1: Sacraments as a Means of GraceTalking to Derek last week, I was reminded that I wanted to push myself to look at the commandments and sacraments from a modern perspective. All of us are conditioned to use old concepts when speaking of ancient traditions. They…
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Lesson 11: Final Words
Read MORE: Lesson 11: Final WordsJews speak of the 10 as the 10 Words rather than the Ten Commandments. The first word is “I am the Lord your God” and the second, “You shall no other gods before me.” The rest follow naturally, both those…
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Lesson 10: The Tenth Commandment
Read MORE: Lesson 10: The Tenth CommandmentNeither shall you desire your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. This last commandment is a little troubling, not in its call for respecting other people’s personal property,…
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Lesson 9: The Ninth Commandment
Read MORE: Lesson 9: The Ninth CommandmentThou shall not covet your neighbor’s house. If you were examining the commandments for the first time from a purely intellectual perspective, chances are you would notice that respect for personal property plays a primary role. One prohibits stealing. Depending…
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Lesson 8: The Eighth Commandment
Read MORE: Lesson 8: The Eighth CommandmentNeither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor. Sisela Bok once wrote that truth is as essential as the air we breathe and the water we drink. She claimed if we cannot believe other people are telling the truth,…
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Lesson 7: The Seventh Commandment
Read MORE: Lesson 7: The Seventh CommandmentNeither shall you steal… Down through the ages most people realized there were many different ways to steal. It can be done in our society by sticking a gun into someone’s ribs and demanding their money or by setting conditions…
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Lesson 6: The Sixth Commandment
Read MORE: Lesson 6: The Sixth CommandmentNeither shall you commit adultery. The first task is to define what adultery is in our time and place; no easy task. It used to be having sex outside of marriage, the presumption being there was always the chance of…
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Lesson 5: The Fifth Commandment
Read MORE: Lesson 5: The Fifth CommandmentExodus and Deuteronomy: “Do not murder.” Martin Luther’s explanation: “We should fear and love God that we may not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every need.” Jesus’ comment: “You have heard…
Recent Comments
I absolutely love these ideas, especially paying attention to beauty and reducing your needs.
Fritz a wonderful lesson – and esp. reading has a flow I found encompassing. If only …….. yes we can…