Yesterday, October 4, was the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis, who was born to wealth but turned his back on a life of luxury in order to serve the poor, lived from around 1181 until 1226. He started the Rule of Francis, later to be called the Order of the Franciscans, which was...
Luke 10:38-42
posted by DJL
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord,...
This Is Why Dogs Are Our Best Friends
posted by DJL
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure whether to put this post under the category “Good!” or to invent a new one called “Cute!” – because it certainly is that. But I also think there is something good and true about the interaction between this mama dog and a young boy with Down Syndrome. His name is Hernán; the dog’s, Himalaya. They live in Buenos Aires, and the video was posted by Hernán’s mother, Ana, who writes in a comment to someone who set an edited version of this video to music: Hernán, is a bit withdrawn and flees from physical contact. He does not like be touched, but Himalayan (the dog) insisted so patiently, and...
Luke 10:25-37
posted by DJL
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all...
What is Faith?
posted by DJL
In the gospel reading that many of us will hear this coming Sunday – Luke 17:5-10 – the disciples plead with Jesus to give them more faith. That may sound like an odd request to us, but Jesus has just been telling them there will be times when they will need to forgive someone over and...
Luke 10:21-24
posted by DJL
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed...
Memory as Fragile, Fallible, and Malleable
posted by DJL
Memory is such a crucial, constitutive, and also consistent element of our everyday lives that we often take it for granted. That is, we regularly count on our memories to guide us through the day, recall tasks we want to accomplish, call to mind the faces and names and stories of those around us, and more, such that we hardly give it a thought. Until, that is, we can’t remember…a phone number or appointment or name or fact. And then we get nervous, but usually only briefly. It’s as if the momentary lapse pierces the illusion we regularly hold that our memories are intact and flawless, but also as if that illusion is so important we...
Luke 10:13-20
posted by DJL
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will...
Law, the First Use
posted by DJL
What do you think is the most difficult word in the English language? Would it be “lachrymose” (causing tears, tearful) or “contumacious” (insubordinate, rebellious) because we use them so rarely? Would it be “hemacytometer” (instrument for counting blood)...
Luke 10:1-12
posted by DJL
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go...
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