At one level, The Good Place is an entertaining comedy that is a pleasure to watch. At another level, it is simply brilliant. The series is a contemporary version of Dante’s Divine Comedy, in which this group of friends make the same journey as Dante’s protagonist. The series explores serious philosophical, ethical and spiritual issues
This brings us to the next of the ultimate questions, “What happens when we die?” There is a great deal of speculation in the Christian tradition but very little in the way of specifics. The New Testament gives us the image of the risen Jesus. He is like the Jesus that his friends and disciples
In the early centuries of the Church everyone who was going to be baptized at the Easter Vigil underwent a month-long retreat prior to baptism. This was done in honor of Christ’s 40 days in the desert before he began his public ministry. During the retreat they reflected on what they were about to do
I have a subscription to Netflix, though I don’t use it much. I keep the subscription because my children watch Netflix. The other night I was scanning through the selection of movies available when I came across the recent Netflix original “The Two Popes”. I heard a lot about the movie and every review was
I may have mentioned this in the past but I’m no stranger to politics. I grew up in a very politically aware family. My grandmother was actively involved in local Republican politics for many years and my father was a ward chairman in the Republican party throughout my childhood. When I was 12, he ran
After the mass murder of Moslems at worship in several New Zealand mosques some commentators pointed to the emergence of Christian nationalism as a factor encouraging such behavior. There was an immediate response from other commentators arguing that such behavior was the exact opposite of Christian values and the Gospel message. Not long ago I
I am a writer at heart and have kept journals over the years. The journals are a mix of reporting on recent events and spiritual reflections. Occasionally I will take out an old journal and read through it. It is a helpful variation on the autobiography exercise. It gives you a sense of where you
Several years ago, I read a book by a social worker who helped patients in a hospice prepare for death. In many cases her job boiled down to helping the patients sort through their lives and do the work of assessment. Sometimes she might help them identify projects that would enrich their lives and help
A friend died the other day. He was a deacon whom I have known ever since I came to Erie. He had worked in sales for many years and then after retiring from the business world he served as a deacon for many more years. He maintained good health right up until the end, when
Christmas has the reputation of being one of the most difficult times of year for a lot of people. This was obvious when I was with Karidat and other social services before that experience. It is the time of year when people are supposed to be happy and thankful. It is a time of nostalgia