There are millions of people within institutional christianity who reject Jesus’ witness with the man born blind. Jesus taught and demonstrated with the blind man that external suffering or deprivation of any kind is not God’s will. Illness, poverty, disadvantage of any type is not from God. Suffering caused by blindness or any other negative … Continue reading “Blindness”
Tag: love
Living Water
Lent is inappropriately linked with sin and therefore with disempowerment. Lent is actually an experience of empowerment as the Lenten Sunday Gospel readings show. The Gospel from the First Sunday of Lent begins with Jesus being led into the desert by the Spirit. He is being empowered for his coming public ministry. The Gospel from … Continue reading “Living Water”
Loving Our Enemies
This Sunday’s Gospel includes an unparalleled teaching by Jesus; love your enemies. This teaching surpasses the Golden Rule; do unto others as you have them do unto you. The Golden Rule is a challenge but it does not effect the same transformation in the world as does Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies. Loving our … Continue reading “Loving Our Enemies”
Love and Justice
As important as justice might seem for disciples it gives way to the more important virtue of love. This truth is exemplified in Sunday’s Gospel when John the Baptist gives way to Jesus. John revealed a just God. John’s god was concerned with denouncing sinners and cleansing the world of evil. As it was time … Continue reading “Love and Justice”
Family
Family is indeed under assault by the U.S. culture. Though not by the forces its conservative members assert. Family is not under assault by people who love each other, no matter their gender or ethnicity, their religion or lack thereof. People who love each other teach us how to care, how to be compassionate, and … Continue reading “Family”
Love
Love is Jesus’ commandment, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.” Jesus rarely spoke in terms of commandments and yet his teaching on love in the Gospel is presented in that manner. Jesus’ commandment would seem to warrant attention, especially from Christians. Certainly so from self-titled Christians enamored of Ten Commandments from the … Continue reading “Love”
Emerging People
In the Gospel, we see a women dragged into the streets but who because of Jesus’ response, emerges from her enslavement. Emerging seems to describe the People of God. We are emerging in our discipleship because we are centering ourselves on the witness of Christ Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus’ life witness, as shown with the … Continue reading “Emerging People”