Religion
My observance of Good Friday is enhanced this year by virtue of the work that I performed yesterday afternoon: renailing old subfloor, with all the crouching and hammer swinging that entails, followed by the lugging of heavy plywood and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) up two racks of pipe staging and through a window just big enough…
Nothing symbolizes the supposed arbitrariness of religion to those predisposed towards skepticism towards religious belief than does the Catholic practice of eating fish on Fridays during the season of Lent. I’ll admit to having asked myself, especially on Good Friday, what connection there is between fish and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And then there…
During my drive home, Dan Yorke was talking about rumors that Caroline Kennedy might be poised for appointment as President Obama’s ambassador to the Vatican: Former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Raymond L. Flynn is giving a thumbs down to Caroline Kennedy as a potential pick for his former diplomatic post, saying the pro-choice values…
Those who agree with the view, cited by David Brooks, that “moral thinking is more like aesthetics” should ponder whether they’re missing a connection between this: Socrates talked. The assumption behind his approach to philosophy, and the approaches of millions of people since, is that moral thinking is mostly a matter of reason and deliberation:…
Something in the atmosphere of the Redwood Library — and Newport more broadly — taps into subconscious wells of historical and artistic instinct for the writer. The greats feel somehow near amidst the stacks, and conversation among literary fiddlers seems only slightly less grand than the exchanges that one imagines upon a Berkshire evening between…
The headline splash: “Catholic bishops warned in ’50s on abusive priests.” The story describes some correspondence from Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald, who founded the Servants of the Paraclete to assist clergy facing various personal difficulties with their vows, such as alcoholism, emotional issues, and (on the extreme end) abuse of children. In religious terms (“charity to…
I’ve been holding on to this column by Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin. Having come across no obvious hooks on which to hang it for a post, perhaps a cold-winded Wednesday afternoon is as good as any time for his helpful reminder: Any given day might bring you surprises that will change your life completely…
Begging the indulgence of our non-Christian readers, I found working through today’s newspaper to be such a discouraging exercise, following on weeks (months) of seeing, personally and societally, people’s economic vulnerability viciously exploited, that the second reading at today’s Mass had an especial poignancy for me, and I’d like to share it: Brothers and sisters:…
Here’s some Biblical inspiration specifically for Rhode Islanders (Proverbs 28:28) When the wicked gain pre-eminence, other men hide; but at their fall the just flourish. I’d append the suggestion that the second clause goes the other way, as well: the flourishing of the just leads the wicked to fall. So let’s start flourishing!
Generally speaking, the government ought to get out of the charity business, but if it’s going to appropriate funds, there’s no reason that it shouldn’t be able to work together with religious groups toward shared ends. For one thing, their spiritual motivation often enables lower administrative costs. The danger — the deal with the devil…
