“And so I tell you, everyone of men’s sins and blasphemies will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Sprit will not be forgiven…..either in this world or the next” (Mt. 12:31) As a kid I didn’t understand Jesus’ admonition about this ‘one unforgivable sin’ recorded…
Author: Dana Robinson
Sociolatry
A phrase making its way around the media these past few weeks is “the enemy within”. Those who spout it no doubt are referring to different enemies. For me, the phrase brings to mind the famous quote in the Pogo cartoon strip on Earth Day…
The Widow’s ‘Might’
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.So, He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all…” (Lk.21) We are taught that through the sacramental…
Whither Culture?
Is culture dynamic? Does its dynamism have a destiny or telos? Is there a vitalizing force that supports and promotes it? Can culture devolve from a state of vigorous flourishment to one of listless function and eventually to one of inevitable floundering? These questions are…
Intended Path
Like tiny patches of blue peeping through stormy skies, references to cultural renaissance are appearing, albeit infrequently, in today’s troubled atmosphere. Just as we are certain there is light above the clouds, do we dare believe these encouraging references to a cultural reawakening are harbingers…
Christian or Globalist?
Are Christians globalists? The term globalism did not exist several generations ago. At that time, it was not uncommon for men to prioritize their commitments as follows: God, family, nation, and employee loyalty. Today things are quite different. We live with godless secularism, fluid definitions…
The Horizontal Beam
St. Paul writes that Christianity without the cross is meaningless. The cross, of course, holds deep and varied significance. It represents shame and glory, death and resurrection, sacrifice and fulfillment, etc. One interpretation often held is that its vertical and horizontal beams symbolize the inseparability…
Identity Crisis
‘The holiness of truth’. How would many of us today interpret this phrase from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians? Would the reference to holiness be so outlandish to us that we would be befuddled by its meaninglessness? Would we, like the jaded Pontius Pilate…
Recreation or Distraction
The ubiquitous presence of cell phones and the never dormant social media prompt this question. Does the time so many of us spend gazing at electronic screens serve the purpose of recreation or of distraction? Put more generally, for which of these two purposes do…
Two Prepositions
On this national Independence Day it is appropriate for us inhabitants of the U.S.A. to reflect on the nature of freedom. Is our freedom ‘freedom from’ or ‘freedom for’? From and for. How can two prepositions so similar in orthography differ so in implication? Even…