The Christian Feast of the Epiphany and the Arabian Nights come together in a fanciful Scott Bates poem about the three wise men passing through Baghdad on their way to see Jesus.
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Tag Archives: Christianity
Epiphany Sunday and the Arabian Nights
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Arabian Nights, Epiphany, fantasy, Religion, Scott Bates "Tales of an Arabian Night" Comments closed
Rise, Heart, Thy Lord Is Risen
I write this the night before our sunrise Easter service where, as members of our church choir, Julia and I will arise before dawn to sing in the rising of the sun/son. No matter how early we get up, George Herbert’s “Easter” reassures us, the Lord is always there before us
Faith in the Face of Terrorism
Today I recommend Of Gods and Men (2010), an extraordinary French film that I saw last month. It is about a small community of Cistercian monks in rural Algeria who must decide whether to stay or leave in face of rising terrorism. Good Friday is a good day to write about it since it deals with Lenten themes.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Film, Islam, Of Gods and Men, Religion, Terrorism Comments closed
Reading Literature, A Spiritual Practice
McEntyre notes that, in the ancient practice of lectio divina, one sought to maintain “spiritual focus and equanimity” by “reading Scripture slowly, listening for the word or phrase that speaks to you, pausing to consider prayerfully the gift being offered in those words for this moment.” Ditto, the author says, for reading literature.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone, Paul, reading, Religion, Spirituality Comments closed
Let He Who Is without Sin Judge Others
Spiritual Sunday Jackie Paskow, a former colleague from the Foreign Language Department, recently mentioned to me a Flannery O’Connor story that had made an impact on her. We normally visit the Paskows on Sunday evenings—Alan is my friend who has cancer—but as we are out of town for the week, I thought I’d send her, […]
The Church and the Chimney-Sweep’s Cry
In his August 29 Washington Mall speech, rightwing television commentator Glenn Beck attacked (among other things) the notion that Christianity should be concerned with issues of social justice. He accused Barack Obama and liberation theology of distorting Jesus’s message. For the President, Beck said, it’s all about victims and victimhood; oppressors and the oppressed; reparations, […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Chimney Sweep", Children, oppression, Religion, William Blake Comments closed
Out of Near Death, a Vision of Love
Spiritual Sunday Thanks to all of you who wrote this past week following the twin blows of my uncle’s death and news of the severity of Alan’s latest cancer diagnosis. The discussion in response to Thursday’s post about which goes deeper, self or love, brought to the periphery of my mind a catechism in which […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged God, Julian of Norwich, love, Religion, Suffering Comments closed
Moving beyond August Madness
Alexander Pope, taking his cue from the Roman poet Juvenal, knew what a crazy month August could be. In The Dunciad the end of civilization occurs in August, coinciding with the rise of the “dog star” Sirius: Now flam’d the Dog Star’s unpropitious ray, Smote ev’ry brain, and wither’d every bay [poet]; Sick was the […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Spring", "Strange Gathering", Cordoba Institute, Islam, politics, Religion, Rumi Comments closed
I Sing of a Maiden
Spiritual Sunday Here’s a lovely spring poem from the Middle Ages about the conception of Jesus. Jesus enters Mary as “stille” (quietly) as April dew falls upon the grass. Mary is described as “makelees,” an adjective which (according to the Norton Anthology of British Literature) is a three-way pun: spotless, matchless, and mateless. I love how […]