“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139: 9-10).
Merciful God, too often we seek to flee from Your presence…when the world is too much with us, when temptation beckons, when we know we have failed. Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
“You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?”
Ps. 56:8
The old hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was penned by Robert Robinson before the American Revolution. It contains the aching lyric, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love…”
The Bible speaks again and again of Continue reading
There is a plaintive line from the old Simon and Garfunkel song, El Condor Pasa (If I Could), that speaks about the superiority of hammers to nails. Sometimes we feel that way, Christians and non-Christians alike. So tired of the pounding, we’re tempted to change places with the hammer. So beleaguered that any road seems better than the one we’re on. If only we could leave our burdens behind.
It is worth remembering Continue reading
Before the Lord took up His public ministry, He worked for years in anonymity, as a simple Carpenter.
Anyone who works in wood will tell you that the task is, in fact, far from simple. Woods vary in quality and strength. It takes knowledge and patience to produce something of lasting usefulness and beauty. Continue reading
“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts…This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…’ ” (1 Sam. 17:45-46).
Like many other older cities, Philadelphia has large areas of poverty, particularly in the north and west. Housing is at a premium in these areas. Row upon row of homes sag with age and disrepair, kindling awaiting the match.
Leaking roofs and broken windows are common. At times, Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done’ ” (Luke 22: 41-42).
Lord Jesus, You knew from the beginning of time what Your obedience to the Father would require, yet gave Yourself over freely to His will. You were without sin, yet Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen – a great speaker and profound Christian writer, since passed on to his reward – said of paganism that it created idols out of man’s burning desire to see the gods face to face, to “force” them into this broken world of ours and hold them to account. Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
“ ‘For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise…from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ ” (Esther 4:14).
This year the Jewish holiday of Purim begins Wednesday evening March 7. For those of you who may not know, Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from destruction in ancient Persia (now northwest Iran, and neighboring areas). That fact is being twisted into a lie on a grand scale. The parallels are all too clear. Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
“ ‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?’ ” (Mark 8:36).
Any number of disappointing articles have been written about the impact of the Great Recession on lawyers, especially those just beginning their careers. Most of these articles focus exclusively on the financial aspect of lawyering.
Putting aside for the moment that many other areas of the economy have been harder hit than the legal profession, it is understandable that lawyers fearing for their livelihoods would look for reassurance, particularly considering the debt many law students carry when they first graduate. Continue reading
“ ‘…He has sent Me…to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…’ ” (Is. 61: 1).
Philadelphia, this beloved city of ours, has a proud heritage. Not only was it the cradle of American liberty. Philadelphia was, also, an important locus on the Underground Railroad. Johnson family members and prominent abolitionist William Still were all based in the city. Between them, this Quaker family and free black man helped upwards of 800 slaves escape to freedom. Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
-2 Cor. 5:17
Christ reorients our identities entirely.
In Exclusion and Embrace, Miroslav Volf describes how Christ calls us to him and out of our individual cultures, making us new creations. My first allegiance is no longer to a government, tribe, city council or family, but to a King and a Kingdom. I still belong to my culture and am subject to its reach, though Christ entering in allows me to distance myself from it and to look at it anew through different eyes–through Christ’s eyes.
While Volf speaks directly to the interplay of ethnicity and identity, I think his observations also apply to the spaces in which we work and the relationships therein, namely professional culture. Continue reading
Mitt Romney was widely quoted as saying he was “not concerned about the very poor,” since they already have a safety net. The remark was roundly criticized, but betrayed a view many people hold, i.e. that the poor are somehow lacking in character or initiative.
Contrast that with a statement by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “Every individual is worth more than the entire universe.” Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
It is February again, dark and cold. Some forty Catholic schools will be shutting their doors in Philadelphia. Local public schools will be closing their buildings nights and weekends, in an effort to save on costs. As ever, there is waste and scandal in Washington. As ever, there is unrest in the Middle East. Continue reading
Filed under Pro Deo
