If you would like to catch up on some recent posts, here is a place where you can easily access some posts you might have missed. I hope it helps… enjoy.
- All this I will give to you…This coming Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent. In yesterday’s post we considered the second temptation. Today will move on to the third: 8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, 9 and he said to him, “All these … Continue reading
- Prince KonoeThe Japanese – U.S. relationship was difficult, ambiguous, conflicted at times and never seemed to find a “spot” where simple co-existence had any endurance. There were many actors in this drama, but one actor is often overlooked in the popular understanding of the dynamics leading up to Pearl Harbor: Prince Fumimaro Konoe. Prince Konoe was one … Continue reading
- Command the angels…This coming Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent. In yesterday’s post we considered the first temptation. Today will move on to the second: 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, … Continue reading
- The Financial FreezeIn the previous post, we considered the actions taken by the United States in response to the Japanese occupation of Southern Indochina. In short, with the Export Control Act of 1940 already in place, in July 1941 President Roosevelt authorized the Treasury to freeze all Japanese assets held in US institutions. The export of goods to … Continue reading
- Command these stones…This coming Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent. Yesterday’s post looked at the connections between the wilderness experience and two elements: in the OT for the anchoring of the scene in Dt. 6 and forward to the events at the end in Jerusalem. Today we consider the first temptation: 1 Then Jesus was led by … Continue reading
- Unintended ConsequencesThis post is not a summary of all the actions with unintended consequences that step-by-step drew the U.S. into the Asia-Pacific War. Perhaps the entire history of Japanese-U.S. relations has been marked by these. At one level it is not surprising given cultural differences. Compared to Japan, the United States was an infant country without substantive … Continue reading
- If you are…This coming Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent. In yesterday’s post we took an in-depth look at the possible meanings of the two words translated as “tempting” (v.1 and v.7) – both their positive and negative connotations. Today we consider the focus of the temptation agenda. It is helpful to consider this pericope as being … Continue reading
- The Lure of TemptationSt. James speaks today about temptation in a way that is both honest and disarming. He does not begin with dramatic sins or shocking failures. Instead, he speaks about desire; how temptation works from the inside out. “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” That is important, because many … Continue reading
- Indochina: The Irreversible Hinge of HistoryBetween July 1940 and the Summer of 1941, the war in China continued. The military situation in China was characterized by a transition into a brutal war of attrition against Japanese occupation, alongside a significant internal breakdown in the alliance between Chinese Communist and Nationalist forces. Among major actions was the “Hundred Regiments Offensive” (Aug 1940 … Continue reading
- Ash Wednesday and Sundays in LentAsh Wednesday, the first day of the penitential season of Lent in the Catholic Church, is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a “movable” feast that is assigned a date in the calendar only after the date of Easter Sunday is calculated. How is it calculated? I’m glad you asked. According to the norms … Continue reading
- Test, temptation or trial?This coming Sunday is the First Sunday in Lent. In today’s post we consider the question posed in the title of the post: is this episode a test, a temptation or a trial – and does the answer make a difference when considered from the Biblical perspective? All three synoptic gospels record an incident of Jesus … Continue reading
- The Path to Export ControlsBy June 1939 Japan was deeply entrenched in China with a military stalemate, the Chinese willing to fight a war of attrition, and there was no political settlement in sight. Japan had just suffered a major defeat at Nomonhan, though this was not fully appreciated in Washington at the time, and elements of Japanese leadership were … Continue reading
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friarmusings 
Excellent way to catch-up without missing a post. Sometimes I miss 1-2 readings and I find them later when clearing my email.
I enjoy the reading and I like the idea of reading all on one email.
Thank you for sharing and posting for our reading and learning pleasure.
If it isn’t a burden to do so, I say yes please.
Sometimes my day gets busy and the only answer is to just delete all but essential emails. But then later in the week a post catches my eye and I want to look back to the beginning of the thread and see where it started. This week’s article on the Magnificat is an excellent example.