Palm Sunday

Happy Palm Sunday to all! Perhaps today we are not able to coalesce in a building; however, in thought, in meditation, and in prayer we can always be one in spirit.

Seeing God in this Crisis

I received an article via email from Aish.com. The article is titled: God is Not in Quarantine. It is written by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg who is the rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue, not far from where I live here in South Florida. Anyhow, I think it is one of the best articles I have read with relevance to this Covid-!9 pandemic from a stance point of faith. In fact, I think it shows an approach that one should have in any crisis from a faith-based approach. Below is an excerpt from the article.

However, while we are distancing, God is breaking quarantine everywhere. In difficult moments and crises like these, we have a choice to make. We can focus on this horrific virus, those it has struck, and wonder, “Where is God?” or we can look at how we are collectively responding, keep an eye on the extraordinary things that are happening, and find Him everywhere. Seeing God everywhere, even during this crisis (aish.com).

Read the full article at the link below.

God is Not in Quarantine

Reference:

https://www.aish.com/sp/pg/God-is-Not-in-Quarantine.html?s=ss1

Thy Kingdom Come 2020

In this post, I am sharing an article from March 3, 2020 from the Anglican Communion News Service. The article is titled: Archbishop of Canterbury launches 2020 Thy Kingdom Come global prayer initiative. Obviously, the title explains the article quite well. Enjoy reading it at the link below.

Archbishop of Canterbury launches 2020 Thy Kingdom Come global prayer initiative: The global ecumenical prayer movement Thy Kingdom Come will this year take place in more than 90 per cent of countries around the world, church leaders were told last week.

Reference:

https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2020/03/archbishop-of-canterbury-launches-2020-thy-kingdom-come-global-prayer-initiative.aspx

Genesis 28: 17

‘How full of awe is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’

- Genesis 28:17 (JPS Tanakh 1917)

A Brief Ecumenical Conversation Between Two Individuals

Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. I found a video on YouTube from The Ten Minute Bible Hour. The video is titled: A Protestant Talks With a Catholic Theologian. A brief note on the page reads, “A Protestant and a Catholic Theology Professor kick around a bunch of the things they have in common and a bunch of the things they don't (YouTube).” Obviously, this video is ecumenical in nature. I simply wanted to provide everyone with a brief illustration of the video, but most importantly I wanted to share it, so here it is below. Enjoy!

References:

https://youtu.be/hf1kOOE457A

https://www.patreon.com/TMBH

The Status of Christianity, Where I Think it is Today

Judging from the title, it would seem I am being given a great deal of weight by the author, who is also me. Anyhow, I will try to focus on the subject in this opinion editorial type deal. Considering that there are over 2 billion Christians worldwide, I am pretty sure that each individually would possibly have a different opinion than myself which shouldn’t be underestimated, as well. However, this is my blog and I have taken the time to express, so I would be grateful if you spent a little time reading it. Here we go!

St Paul said: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28, NRSV).” Today, that foregoing list could be easily expanded, if one was being politically correct, although generally the idea seems to be clear.

The first place where the name Christians was used was in Antioch in ancient Syria. Antioch, however, is no longer. Today that city is Antakya in Turkey. Christianity pretty much grew in Asia Minor, which is mostly Turkey today. North Africa was also another cradle for Christianity. Many of the places Christianity grew are mostly Islamic today. But Christianity has spread into most of the world and continues to grow at different rates depending on which place or region, or continent. I suppose many Christians, in one way or another, believe they are Christians based on what is understood that it is from the New Testament. Of course, many of us today probably have very little understanding of what it meant to be a Roman or a Thessalonian, a Colossian, or an Ephesian. Sure, we can research the history of all those regions with which St. Paul corresponded. However, I really doubt we will ever really know and understand those times and places, just as they would probably have never understood living in our time regardless of how well we described it. Anyhow, St. Paul perhaps wrote almost 14 of the total 27 books of the NT, and I am pretty sure he may have been influential in the works by Mark and Luke. Basically, all those writings became canonized. In Easter of AD 367, Athanasius’ Festal letter pretty much summed up the 27. I will let you do the research on that if you want to know why? Moreover, the subject questions where is Christianity today?

Christianity today is a hybrid of all the versions of Christianity which have existed because obviously we can’t be the same as in the first century. The message I am probably attempting to convey is that maybe we should be asking the question, why we are Christians? Is it because we like joining that sometimes social club, the church, or do we really know our history, why we exist, and why we think we know who we are? I think one of the bigger questions I have is if Christianity was the strong faith, we think it is today, why didn’t it survive to the same intensity in its original status in places like Turkey and North Africa. I think that just based on some of the rhetoric one hears from some Christian communities today, it is very evident that we have a hybrid or different hybrids of the Christian faith. For instance, many in the evangelical community will tell you “we are more than conquerors.” Obviously, that more than conquerors mentality may have been helpful to some in the past, it seems. Unless, maybe besides using the sword to conquer, Islam did provide an alternate faith and support to many of our brothers in the past. Of course, Islam is an Abrahamic faith and Christianity is a branch of Judaism. The forgoing simply depends on how one interprets. Also, I might have more to say about all 3, and there relationships as to where Christianity is today, and conclusions might not be so different in the end, regardless.

Perhaps, Christianity has just simply evolved into many other forms, especially in this post-reformation era. Even during the Crusades, many Western Christians were already unable to recognize Eastern Christians mistaking them for Muslims. Move forward in time to the present-day in which we have so many groups and denominations. Many Christians sometimes do not even think other Christians are Christians since there are so many differences. Bottom line: what I see is a jumbled-up mess. Of course, everyone thinks their form of Christianity, or the one to which they belong is the correct one, or at least the best one based on their induvial understanding. So basically, it is what it is. It is better to have all the different denominations and groups than to not have any Christianity at all. Hope you enjoyed reading and blessings!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2020 to All!