Tag: discipleship

  • What is the point Christians seem not to grasp? Think Compassion.

    The curse of historians is often how we understand cultural phase change. All cultures and religions are resistant to understanding the phase change. There is a common thread in Christianity. We are starting with the teachings of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, the apostolic movements after Jesus, and especially when we understand why religious…

  • Economics, See-Judge-Act, Synodality, and the Modern World

    Joseph Cardinal Cardijn formulated the “See, Judge, Act” (SJA) method that became engrained in Catholic Social Teaching. SJA is a process of Looking at social justice issues as they affect society in the modern world. SJA is a way of developing a societal response to the injustices and evils we encounter. The tradition of Catholic Social Teaching…

  • Green Junction: The words Admiration, Respect and Care by Julie Peller Ph.D.

    Thanks to Deacon Frank, I was privileged to be the guest presenter for a Day of Prayer for Global Awareness of the Environment at a genuinely inspiring local service. In my hours of reflecting and writing, Admiration, Respect, and Care eventually summarized my message. The first letters from these words form ARC, and I believe we need…

  • Green Junction: Train Wrecks! by Julie Peller, Ph.D.

    The recent train derailment and explosion in Ohio that released toxic chemicals was newsworthy given the magnitude of the crash, toxic releases and affected area. Our chosen way of life is dependent on all types of industrial chemicals and processes, and chemical spills and releases are common. Another fact is that these unhealthy contaminant discharges…

  • Happy Birthday, St. Bonhoeffer

    Happy Birthday, St. Bonhoeffer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on 4 February 1906, fully in the image and likeness of God. Like all of us, our life challenges us to maintain God’s likeness.  Bonhoeffer became for the world a well-known theologian, pastor, and Nazi resister. He was educated in Europe and the US and had his…

  • Kingdom?

    Try this: When you hear “Kingdom of God,” think “Kingdom Justice.” The Kingdom of God is here and now. It is not something to come after we leave this world. The Kingdom of God is a joint venture between humans and God to collaborate on bringing Justice here and now. God is a collaborator, not…

  • So we think we are Catholic?

    This post is for “Catholics” all 23 rites. Those who think you are liberal, conservative, progressive, traditional, fallen away, or in-between. Have we tainted our faith with political ideology? Do we understand the universality of the word “catholic”? How often do we find near-heresies and a few real heresies on all social media posts? Do…

  • Green Junction: “monsoons on steroids” by Julie Peller, Ph.D.

    Over the past months, intensive and extensive flooding in Pakistan has been described as “monsoons on steroids” and “unprecedented.” The human toll at this point is near 1600 deaths, 11 million people driven further below poverty, and 33 million displaced. The country’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, described the connection to climate change. “Pakistan has never seen…

  • It is time for Catholics “belly up to the bar.” Think Social Teachings!

    The Catholic Church, which includes all the Rites East and West, must reinstll the heart of the gospel messages in Catholic Social Teachings. Have we become so comfortable with our wealth that we forget the Gospel message? Joseph Cardinal Cardijn’s thinking and message go back decades before Vatican II. Cardijn’s methods of See-Judge-Act are vital…

  • 11 October 1962

    On 11 Oct 2022, it will be 60 years since the opening of the Second Vatican Council. It is time for the Church to resurrect the teachings in the documents to better bring about the kingdom of God here and now on a regional and global basis. The underlying methodology in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen…