Tag Archives: Christianity

Papal Designations

Paul McLachlan asks an interesting question: What’s in a name? Specifically, what’s in a pope’s name? It’ll be interesting to see what name the next pope chooses for himself. I’d like him to choose James. I don’t think there’s been a Pope James before.

“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. ” – James 2:14-26 RSV

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"Ales Rarus is out [of my list of notable Pittsburgh bloggers]. I just find his prattling about the nuances of his fantasy belief system to be really uninteresting….[H]is site is just about as interesting as someone who writes about Hobbits everyday or the Great Pumpkin, which is to say not interesting at all." – Philip Shropshire

At least that’s what my favorite troll said a couple months ago. It seems he just couldn’t stay away, though.

"Searching for a respectful eulogy [of John Paull II]? Then I would look at choir boy faced Ales Rarus (He’ll ban your contraception but, hey, he’s a guy who talks to God so he knows best lil’ ladies…). Here’s a predictably glowing excerpt praising God’s top personal assistant:"

He goes on to mention a papal post on another Christian blog, Unspace, for which he has considerably more respect. It struck me as pretty balanced, fair, and respectful, especially given that it’s written by a non-Catholic. I’ll have to take a closer look at Unspace and see what it’s all about and why Mr. Shropshire likes it so much.

I must confess I have ulterior motive for investigating Unspace as well. Later this week, Rob and I will be participating in a blogcast hosted by Mike at Pittsburgh Webloggers. Stay tuned for details….

Christian Bereavement

Apropos in light of the pope’s passing:

“The faith of Christ teaches more than courage in the face of death. Our attitude to death is transformed. As we come to a more intimate experience of the reality of God, we may enter into the overcoming power and strength of the great words of Christ, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life.’ Death is swallowed up in victory. For those we love it is no longer a dark place but an entrance into fuller light of God. Though we naturally grieve at the withdrawal of loved friends from our physical sight, we may still rejoice in their new freedom. The dead are not lost to us; they are still our friends in the service of the Eternal.”
– London Yearly Meeting; Report and Draft Revision of Christian Discipline, Parts I and II, Revision Committee, 1959 (quote found in Faith and Practice, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1972)

Gospel Meditation: The Breath of God

The Lord sits upon His throne and says, “Behold, I make all things new.”1. Indeed, he does.

The Alpha…

“then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”2

…and the Omega

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.'”3


  1. Revelation 21:5
  2. Genesis 2:7
  3. John 20:21-23

Pope John Paul II: A Legacy of Dignity

the pope wavingAs the pope lay
dying in his apartment, the 24-hour news machine buzzed with life throughout the
night. Nearly all seemed to spend a great deal of time discussing the years before
his health declined due to Parkinson’s Disease and other ailments. They showed video
and photographs of his youth, admired his athleticism, and marvelled at his boundless
energy. These things are good in their own right, but I think the media missed the
point.

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