Category Archives: Musings

The Star and Leviathan

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Years ago, I read a science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clark, “The Star.” I read it in a collection of short stories by Clark. “The Star” appeared in the inaugural issue of Infinity Magazine. The story is about a group of space explorers from Earth returning from an expedition to a remote star system, where they discovered the remnants of an advanced civilization destroyed when its star went supernova. The destroyed planet’s culture was very similar to Earth’s. Recognizing several generations in advance that their star would soon explode, and with no means of interstellar travel to save themselves, the doomed people spent their final years building a vault on the outermost planet in their solar system, whose Pluto-like orbit was distant enough to survive the supernova. Continue reading →

Ten Dollars

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An old farmer and his wife always went to the county fair. And, every year they saw the same pilot offering to take people up for a spin in his airplane for $10.00 a ride. Every year, the old farmer asked his wife to give him $10.00 so he could go up. Every year, the wife responded by getting very mad at him and saying that ten dollars was ten dollars and they couldn’t afford to be so frivolous with what little money they had. He told her that he was now 80 years old and if he didn’t go up this year, he never would. In a very angry voice, she repeated that ten dollars was ten dollars. At this point they got into an argument about it. Continue reading →

Righteous Deeds

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I have always wondered about the practice of nonprofit fundraising and especially large capital campaigns that offer naming opportunities to attract seven-, eight-, and nine-figure donations from high-net-worth individuals. As far back as the first century CE, Roman general Marcus Agrippa had his name inscribed on the Pantheon temple. The practice continues today as expressions of civic responsibility, prestige, and power. Continue reading →

Perfection

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There is a picture in my office that I have had since last century. It is a picture of Jeff Pierce. You probably have never heard of Jeff. He was a professional bicycle racer. He rode for the 7-Eleven team back in the late 1980s when they were the first American team to race in Europe. In the 1987 Tour de France, Jeff was a domestique, a rider whose principle task was to be a support for the team leaders: carry water bottles, protect the top riders from the ravages of wind, and at the end of the day to struggle across the finish line well after the leaders. Against all odds Jeff won the grand finale, the last stage in Paris on the Champs Elysees. A gendarme in the background of the photograph stares in disbelief. Jeff is alone. Crossing the finish line, arms raised in unbelieving triumph. He won against the greatest riders of his day. An American in Paris.  I look at that picture and know that perfect moments are possible. Continue reading →

Withholding Forgiveness

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During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus references Exodus 21 in which Moses is explaining the Torah to the people. It is a description of and an attempt to regulate fair punishment for violence so that the punishment did not exceed the injury. The instruction was aimed not at excusing brutality, but at controlling vendetta. Here is a portion of the passage: Continue reading →

That still small voice

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In today’s text for the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, our first reading (1 Kings 19 ) finds Elijah the prophet on the run from the wrath of Queen Jezebel who has sent an army to track down and kill Elijah. He is hiding in cave wondering where is God in all this

Then the LORD said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the LORD was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound.” (1 Kings 19;11-12)

That is the New American Bible (NAB) translation. The other translations are quite similar, but the very last phrase has a lot of subtle variations:  “a still small voice”, “a low whisper” and others. The Hebrew word used demā·mā primarily means “a hush” or “a whisper.”

Whatever the translation, may we always and ever be open to that still small voice that speaks to us to keep us on the road of righteousness.

Image credit: photo by Taylor Hunt, Pexels, CC-0

Playing the Middle

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There is a popular expression: “playing both ends against the middle.” In modern usage it means to manipulate two opposing sides of an argument, conflict, competition, etc., against one another for one’s own benefit or advantage. The expression seems to have arsien from a method of cheating at the card game faro. In a twist on the old adage, today’s first reading seems to be playing the middle against both ends. Continue reading →

Memorial of St. Barnabas

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St. Barnabas was one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem, Jewish and Cypriot by birth. He was sent to Antioch as an emissary of the Church in Jerusalem and witnessed the work of the Lord. At some time before this, St. Paul had his Damascus Road experience and conversion. “When [Paul] arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.” (Acts 9:26) and it seems he moved on to Tarsus and resumed his trade as a tentmaker. Continue reading →

Prophets and Kings

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When it comes to the reading selections for daily Mass I sometimes think the first readings are on their own track, telling a story, but only it bits and pieces, starts and stops. Today we are introduced to King Ahab and the prophet Elijah. To this point the First Book of Kings has largely been recounting the stories of the Kings of Israel (in the Northern Kingdom) and the Kings of Judah (in the Southern Kingdom). Especially in the north, it is not a pretty story.  Let me share the verses immediately preceding our text: Continue reading →

Crossing the Divide

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The author Ian Toll’s trilogy of the Navy/Marine Pacific campaigns during World War II was a wonderful read. What lets Toll’s trilogy stand apart from those historians who wrote before him was his access to the personal war diaries of women and men on both sides of the conflict in the Pacific. One of the journals cited at various points along the timeline was from a young Japanese woman. Continue reading →