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 14: Paul on Death and Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)
Read MORE: Lesson 14: Paul on Death and Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)If religions deal with ultimate questions, they eventually have to deal with death. As Paul says, it is the last enemy, the elephant in the room, or to keep our metaphor, the elephant in the middle of the road. No…
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Lesson 13: Worship and Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 11-14)
Read MORE: Lesson 13: Worship and Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 11-14)After discussing moral issues Paul turns to worship. Again we see the freedom of the Spirit. Although he speaks of tradition (I Corinthians 11: 2) this does not appear to include a formal liturgy. Five years earlier he said, “Rejoice…
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Lesson 12: Freedom and Its Limits (1 Corinthians 5-10)
Read MORE: Lesson 12: Freedom and Its Limits (1 Corinthians 5-10)I have always had a hard time making sense of chapters 5-14. Paul seems all over the place, going hither and yon in his reasoning and counseling. After a lot of struggle, I decided to take Paul at his word.…
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Lesson 11: The Cross as Foolishness (1 Corinthians 1-4)
Read MORE: Lesson 11: The Cross as Foolishness (1 Corinthians 1-4)Before offering counsel about the chaotic situation in their church, Paul reminds the Corinthians that Christianity looks at things much differently than the rest of their world. “The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but…
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Lesson 10: How to Read Paul’s Letters Today
Read MORE: Lesson 10: How to Read Paul’s Letters TodayRather than plowing directly into I Corinthians, let me speak to the discussion started in recent lessons. As Sarah assured me from the very beginning, the comments have become very significant. I think this is especially important for understanding Paul’s…
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Lesson 9: Faith Active in Love (Galatians 5-6)
Read MORE: Lesson 9: Faith Active in Love (Galatians 5-6)It is important to keep reminding ourselves not to expect a systematic theology from Paul. He just does not offer that kind of consistency. Instead we find him applying his gospel rather flexibly to the situation of his churches. In…
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Lesson 8: Justification by Faith in Galatians
Read MORE: Lesson 8: Justification by Faith in GalatiansIf scholars are right, Galatians is the second earliest book in the New Testament. It proclaims the heart of Paul’s message, justification by faith. It pretty evident Paul never wrote thinking his letter would become part of our Bible. His…
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Lesson 7: What’s Ahead? (Thessalonians)
Read MORE: Lesson 7: What’s Ahead? (Thessalonians)Thessalonians pictures the church being persecuted for their belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ who shall rule the earth for God. As they wait for him, they live as much as possible in his Spirit, living quietly and…
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Lesson 6: Paul’s Letters: The Real Paul vs. Acts
Read MORE: Lesson 6: Paul’s Letters: The Real Paul vs. ActsGet ready! Luke-Acts acted like a good public relations person who domesticated Paul. He portrayed him as a courageous missionary who suffered constantly in order to move the Church from a small Jewish sect to a large catholic church. We…
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Lesson 5: Paul Arrives in Rome
Read MORE: Lesson 5: Paul Arrives in RomePaul makes it to Rome, the end of the road. The writer of Acts appears to be making a point. This last trip under arrest is the longest section of his book, eight chapters, a fourth of the entire work.…
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…