So forgiveness pre-requires understanding the mistakes of the past? here hear re this opposing this me-first, America-first, white-first, male-first approach>…
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 11: Giftedness
Read MORE: Lesson 11: GiftednessIn 2000, Robert Putnam published Bowling Alone. It has quickly become a classic for understanding modern American community. His thesis is that our nation has lost our sense of the common good, because technology inherently promotes radical individualism. He used the…
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Lesson 12: Hospitality
Read MORE: Lesson 12: HospitalityI first read the Benedictine Rule at the very beginning of my ministry. I remember being impressed that the porter was to treat every one who knocked at the monastery’s door as if they might be Christ himself and that…
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Lesson 13: Obedience
Read MORE: Lesson 13: ObedienceHow in the world do you handle obedience in today’s world? Supposedly, freedom means we respect no person’s authority to tell us what to do. Yet we are continually forced to comply with the demands of the system. And we…
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Lesson 14: Stability
Read MORE: Lesson 14: StabilityIf my first attraction to the Benedictine Rule was its hospitality, my second was its stability. A pastor easily felt the impact of the mobile technology at first offered and then demanded. Children leaving town for college, exciting vocations, and…
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Lesson 15: New Christian Communities
Read MORE: Lesson 15: New Christian CommunitiesI promised to share some of my friends’ understanding of modern Christian community. Kerry Walters is a retired philosophy professor whose words often appear in the Huffington Post. I think his following Facebook post speaks for itself. I’d be interested…
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Lesson 16: The Way of Conversion
Read MORE: Lesson 16: The Way of ConversionI was recently at a conference where a female Roman Catholic scholar who had worked in ecumenical relationships for decades revealed she was finally beginning to appreciate that the most important first step in healing our broken Church was coming…
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Lesson 17: Peace- Sign of the Disarmed Heart
Read MORE: Lesson 17: Peace- Sign of the Disarmed HeartAbout half way through the chapter, Chittister wrote that being at peace gives “the courage to evaluate what is patently wrong but never open for discussion.” As soon as I read her words, a brash comment made by an executive…
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Lesson 18: God, Truth, and Reality
Read MORE: Lesson 18: God, Truth, and RealitySister Joan ended her book with a reprise of the monastic vision found in the Benedictine Rule. She emphasized it offers a practical way to live the Gospel now by discerning God’s presence in all creation. I understand that as…
Recent Comments
An extremely timely topic. Thanks, Fritz!
yes we need to forgive our leaders yet make sure they do the right thing – which they aren’t.