"But," said Lewis, "myths are lies, even though lies breathed through silver." "No," said Tolkien, "they are not." An excerpt from J.R.R. Tolkien's poem "Mythopoeia": The heart of man is not compound of lies, but draws some wisdom from the only Wise, and still recalls Him. Though now long estranged, Man is not wholly lost nor …
Gospel of the Body
My good friend, Nathan Novero, has just launched his new vlog, GOSPEL OF THE BODY. The Christian 'good news' is that God became human flesh in order to redeem it, but this divine incarnation will never be complete until ALL flesh has been made sacred and purged of shame. Join me and Nathan as we …
Matter articulate
From the epilogue of Denys Turner's biography of St. Thomas Aquinas: Thomas's matter speaks, it overflows with meaning. For what are human beings but matter articulate, animals that in speaking make sounds utter, and in writing make literate shapes?... Articulate animals that were are, our bodies speak to one another, and through word and gesture …
Hopeful monster
I am a monster! I am emotionally malformed and psychically misshapen. The combination of utter neglect and loving nurture in my childhood distorted me. I became a mutant, a monstrosity - appalling to witness, an omen of the evil to come. If you see me coming, run away! What I crave is intimacy, and yet …
Grammar of God
September 14, 2015: For a long time, I've had a nagging sense that we, as a human race, don't really know who we are, where we came from, or where we're going. That is not to say there aren't standard answers to these questions - there are, many of them. But to me they seem …
What is love?
What is love? (No, the next line isn't "Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt meeeee anymore!") What is love? Do you know? Some say it's a feeling; others, a choice. It is both? What is love? We all seem to know intuitively, but defining it is a challenge. Philosophers have spilled oceans of ink trying …
Launching pad
August 20, 2015 (Kampala): Richard Rohr, in his book Immortal Diamond, says that our 'false self' is one or more 'temporary costumes' necessary to get us jump-started in life but that need(s) to die off as we continue to grow. He calls it a 'launching pad'. One of my false or temporary selves was BIBLE …
Wolf
It's true. I can't deny it: I am a wolf in sheep's clothing. Sheep everywhere, beware! This is how it happened: I was born a wolf-pup but into a world of sheep, sheepdogs, and shepherds. My natural wolflish ways were too dangerous, too misunderstood, so I was trained to become a sheep. When I tried …
Purified love
August 2, 2015, Kampala: De Caussade's reading for this morning describes the process God has been taking me through these last ten years or so: "The soul ought to strip itself of all things created in order to arrive at the state of abandonment...this state of consolation is for those who have attained it; but …
World exegesis
July 26, 2015, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: I'm frustrated right now reading a theological book. It's interesting and insightful...but it's mostly an exegesis of other texts, a dialogue with other authors. That's all well and good, if you like shuffling around endlessly the ideas of men and women. But I'm frustrated because by exegeting …
