Daily Archives: May 13, 2025

Belonging

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It’s a late December day in Jerusalem. Jesus is walking in the Temple area, and as usual, he’s drawing a crowd during the Feast of the Dedication (better known to us as Hanukkah). The people have come with a question. Perhaps they’ve heard one of Jesus’s enigmatic parables, or witnessed one of his miracles.  Or maybe they just want to trap him into saying something they consider blasphemous.  Whatever the motive, they ask: “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Seems as an odd choice for a gospel so soon after Easter. How could we be “in suspense” after the Resurrection? But then again, maybe it tells us the truth about how faith works.

Most of the time, faith isn’t a clean ascent from confusion to clarity, doubt to trust.  It’s a perpetual turning.  A circle we trace from knowing to unknowing, from unbelief to belief.  From “He is Risen, alleluia, alleluia,” to “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  Is it a weakness in our faith? No, it’s just what we human beings do. Sometimes our prayer starts, “if you really are…” good, caring, loving…. there at all… show up, speak plainly, act decisively.  

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Tradition and Transition

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The first year at the US Naval Academy is… shall we say…challenging. It is called “plebe year.” The word “plebe” originates from the Latin word plebs, which referred to the common people of ancient Rome, as opposed to the elite class – in this case being the upper class midshipmen who have already proven their mettle. The purpose of Plebe Year at the U.S. Naval Academy is to transition civilians into midshipmen and future Navy and Marine Corps officers by instilling the foundational military, academic, and physical standards required for service. It is an intensive, year-long process—especially demanding in the first summer, known as Plebe Summer—that serves several key purposes:

Discipline and Military Indoctrination – Plebes (first-year students) learn military customs, courtesies, regulations, and traditions. They’re taught to follow orders, uphold high standards, and function in a chain of command.

Character and Leadership Development – the year tests and builds mental toughness, ethical decision-making, accountability, and resilience—key traits for leadership in high-stakes environments.

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Glory

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This coming Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Easter in Liturgical Year C. The gospel is taken from John 13:31-35. Our short text can be divided into three parts:

  • vv. 31-32 – the glorification of God and Jesus
  • v. 33 – Jesus’ departure
  • vv. 34-35 – the commandment to love.

Before we delve into the text itself, we should perhaps consider the word “glory.” If asked, what would you give as a definition? Merriam Webster reflects on the definition in all the ways the word is used in the common palance: glory – renown, magnificence, exaltation, achievement, and more. When speaking of God, at best, these seem to linger on the edge of meaning, but not approach the heart of the matter.

If we turn to the Hebrew scriptures to discover what is meant by God’s glory, we quickly find it is not a single, well-defined concept. In fact, it is probably best to treat the word as something of a cipher, a term used to point to the ineffable qualities of God. In the OT kabod is perhaps the most important of many related words and refers in its root meaning to what is weighty, important or impressive. That would certainly apply to the people’s experience of God’s interactions in the world; not a direct experience but an experience nonetheless.

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