A journal of byzantine digressionS
-
Pigcasting
The Readings for the Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga II Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36 Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Don’t cast your pearls before swine. Matthew 7:6 (NABRE) APART FROM THE EPONYMOUS comic by Stephan Pastis, this verse usually means don’t give something important to those who don’t know how important it is. It pairs well…
-
Two Words for One
READING SCRIPTURE IN Multiple translations leads one back to the original languages sooner or later. There is a danger there: as my friend, Steve once said, “Nothing is more dangerous to the faith than a man with an interlinear Bible and a Greek dictionary.” The same is seemingly true with Hebrew, but we’ll get to…
-
Let me fix that for you.
The Readings for the 12th Monday, Tempus per Annum 2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18 Matthew 7:1-5 Let me remove that splinter from your eye. Matthew 7:4 (NABRE) THIS BIT ABOUT NOT JUDGING is quite familiar to us. We’re often told (as Catholics) that we’re being “too judgey” when it comes to sex or some “inclusion”…
-
Dismiss this Crowd
The Readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (C2) Genesis 14:18-20 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Luke 9:11b-17 He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” Luke 9:13 (NABRE) WHEN THE DISCIPLES went to Jesus it was with all good intentions. There’s a whole bunch of people here, nothing to…
-
Chez Mammon
The Readings for the 11th Saturday, Tempus per Annum 2 Chronicles 24:17-25 Matthew 6:24-34 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Matthew 6:27 (NABRE) WORRYING, SO GOES THE ONLINE WISDOM, is a form of Atheism. It seems to arise from something said by the Ven. Fulton J. Sheen, or…
-
Validate Me (pt 2)
The Readings for the 11th Friday, Tempus per Annum 1 Kings 21:1-16 Matthew 6:19-23 For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. Matthew 6:21 (NABRE) HEART IS ONE Of the most important words in the Bible. Especially in the Hebrew Scriptures – and therefore in the teachings of Jesus – it is…
-
To Kingdom Come
The Readings for the 11th Thursday, Tempus Per Annum Sirach 48:1-14 Matthew 6:7-15 Thy kingdom come Matthew 6:10 (AV) MINDFUL THAT the original texts (in Hebrew and Greek) had no punctuation, I want to challenge you to read the Lord’s prayer here with a colon instead of a line break, comma, or full stop. Thy…
-
Validate Me
The Readings for the 11th Wednesday, Tempus per Annum 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. Matthew 6:2b (NABRE) MANY RECENT CONVERSATIONS have been around the topic of seeking validation. Your host became aware of this issue leaving his job history (of nearly 25 years)…
-
The Perfect Name
The Readings for the 11th Tuesday, Tempus Per Annum (C2) 1 Kings 21:17-29 Matthew 5:43-48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 (NABRE) BE PERFECT JUST as Our Father is Perfect. Father’s Day is this coming Sunday. Are you able to be anything like your father? I mean in some…
-
Anyone who asks
The Readings for the Memorial of Anthony of Padua, Doctor (C2) 1 Kings 21:1-16 Matthew 5:38-42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. Matthew 5:42 (NABRE) THIS IS A HARD saying for anyone living in a city or for anyone who works…
-
The Christian & Identity – Pt 3
THE PREVIOUS POST closed with a list of three options that apply in all cultural choices: individualized nominalism (one makes it up on their own), emergent nominalism, (one makes it up with the help of others), or objective reality (one gets to make up reactions to something that existed before one got here). The first…
-
The Christian & Identity – Pt 2
ONCE UPON A TIME, men — at least — who acted outside of the norms of Christian culture and chose to engage in their sexual desires for other men were called Sodomites. For this reason, the present author has been accused of using the term uncritically without considering it, or “unpacking” it. On the contrary,…
-
The Christian & Identity – Pt 1
THE STORY OF SODOM and Gomorrah will be familiar to you, if only because you have been exposed to the horror story version or the sexualized version in some movie or TV show. You may also know the Bible Version in Genesis 18 and 19. Americans (religious or not) are prone to taking brief passages…
-
Jesus’ bloody feet we track
Memorial of St Charles Lwanga & Companions, Martyrs Readings for 7th Friday after Easter (C2) Acts 25:13b-21 John 21:15-19 He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” John 21:19 OUR LORD SAYS TO St Peter, “Follow me.” It…
-
One in the Spirit, One in the Lord
Readings for 7th Thursday after Easter (C2) Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 John 17:20-26 …so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me,…
Orthoparadoxy 