Even the Devils Believe

Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center has penned a very thought-provoking response to the controversy surrounding Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I strongly recommend you take a look at the whole thing, but here are a few critical paragraphs:
One article I saw last week said that Jeremiah Wright was saying nothing different [...]

Today is the Annunciation — just eight days after Easter and we are already beginning the story of the Nativity!
Here is a quote on Mary’s joyful assent to the Incarnation, and what that assent means for our own call as Christians, from Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Mary: The Church at the Source.
But Jesus’ [...]

I’ve mentioned before that one thing that worries me about the nascent “religious left” and clergy endorsements from that movement is the ability of religious communities, especially Christian churches, to maintain a distinct moral witness apart from our political action. I know some folks think I’m being a bit too puritanical about that.
The Jeremiah [...]

Late last year, I blogged about an interview online with the editor of the Summit Choirbook, a Dominican nun named Sr Maria of the Cross.
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of Sr Maria’s first profession with the Dominicans of Summit, and I wanted to wish her blessings and many happy returns! The blog Moniales, OP, [...]

Christ is risen, my brothers and sisters!
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Vigil, if you went, or are looking forward to tomorrow’s services if not. I had fun making chocolate truffles yesterday and today, which were enjoyed by those who gave up sweets for Lent (and a few who did not [...]

I hope all of you are having a blessed Triduum. The schedule is often hectic for everyone, but there is something nice about turning over most of our waking action to the celebration of the liturgy and para-liturgical devotions. The nearby TEC parish has Stations both today and tomorrow at noon — I [...]

Fr Reginald Foster holds forth (in Latin!) on the loss of Latin competency in the Western Church:

Fr Foster is the Vatican’s most eminent Latinist, and I believe Bishop Laura took one of his seminars back in her time at Notre Dame.
As a cradle Lutheran, I’ve always been ambivalent about the use of Latin in the [...]

Despite the title, this is not a profound discourse on church/state relations. Just a funny little bit of liturgical arcana I found while reading Archimandrite Robert Taft’s excellent Liturgy of the Hours in East and West…
Taft describes that the Assyro-Chaldean Divine Office is one of the few that to this day maintains the full “cathedral” [...]

Well, it is the last Friday in Lent — also the transferred Memorial of St Patrick for those misguided and/or Irish souls who are celebrating it today. I am too much of a stickler about the rubrics for that, and I’d wager good money that our bishop is celebrating the feast of Joseph of [...]

I’ve been debating whether to post anything about the Eliot Spitzer debacle which has dominated the news. I’ve been all the more conflicted because of my upcoming post on judging the actions and motives of politicians. (Expect that post after Easter, as I won’t be blogging about politics or public theology during Holy Week.)
Thankfully, [...]