Category Archives: Musings

Blessing our persecutors

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The reading from the Morning Prayer of the Church (the Divine Office; breviary) is a powerful and counterintuitive exhortation from the apostle Paul that challenges our natural inclinations and societal norms. “Bless those who persecute  you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:14-16).  Continue reading →

The Feast of St. Clare of Assisi

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Peter said to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.”  (Mt 19:27-29) Continue reading →

Plastic Straws and Tipping Points

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Back in 2015, a YouTube video of a sea turtle with a plastic drinking straw embedded in its nostril became the image that the sustainability movement needed. It was the face that launched a thousand plastic straw bans. In many ways, the campaign was a success story — one that elevated our awareness of single-use plastics to the point where it resulted in actual policy change. The anti-plastic straw movement didn’t actually originate with the turtle video.

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Spooky Action at a Distance

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I like science and I like science fiction. So, it is always interesting when Sci-Fi uses advanced concepts of physics to animate the plots of the television shows or movies. There are several episodes of various Star Trek series that have referred to or explored the concept of quantum entanglement. Here are a few instances where quantum entanglement is mentioned or featured in Star Trek – of course I haven’t explained quantum entanglement, but maybe the way the term is used might give you insight: Continue reading →

How time seems to fly

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When I was a lad, the duration of time between December 1st and Christmas Day bordered on the infinite. The duration of time measured by normal standards (Sun, moon, chronometers, etc) remains the same, but the experience has been altered. What was once near infinite is now trending towards no time at all. In some sense, each of us has our own “inner time” unrelated to the passing of hours, days, and years on clocks and calendars. I had often thought it was related to some latent ratio of the duration and the time lived.  For example, the 25 days until Christmas is a significant percentage of the entire life of a six-year old child; not so much for a septuagenarian. What lasts forever for the six-year old is the blink of an eye to grandfather. While that may be true at some level, there are more technical explanations being offered these days. Continue reading →

Did you ever wonder…?

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This week “Vol. 3” of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies was released to streaming on Disney+. It is light-hearted sci-fi action fun. I was going to write a synopsis of the three movies, but it is enough to say the leader of the Guardians, Peter Quill, Star Lord (he wants everyone to call him that but no one does – he just wanted a really cool nickname…) … where was I… oh, yeah. In every one of the movies he ends up in space without all or some part of a space suit. Continue reading →

At Wit’s End

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If you have been following along with the daily readings at Mass, you know that the first readings have been following the 12 tribes of Jacob as they escaped slavery in Egypt, received the Ten Commandments, fashioned a golden calf, and spent a lot of time complaining, grumbling and being unhappy – especially with Moses’ leadership and God’s providence. Yet… God still desired to be present to them, to be with them in the journey. The reading on Thursday last was all about the construction of the Tent of Meeting and how it is the restoration of human access to the Holy Place where heaven and earth meet. That was all contained in the Book of Leviticus. We turn the pages of daily first readings and suddenly we are in the Book of Numbers.  Take a moment and watch this short video overview of the 4th book of the Old Testament and see the overarching story that is playing out: Book of Numbers Summary: A Complete Animated Overview.  Continue reading →

That 70s thing…

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This morning I had to opportunity to swim at the Rouse Center in Stafford. While churning away the yards in the competition pool, nearby in the recreation pool the Water Exercise program churned away to what seemed to be the greatest hits of the 1970s… at least if the tunes were all in the bopping range with sufficient beats per minute. The BeeGees “Staying Alive” is a regular feature, clocking in at 105 bpm. Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” is also a regular at 123 bpm. In case you’re wondering, I only hear all this during rest between sets. So far I have avoided ear worms. Continue reading →

Assumptions

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The gospel passage Matthew 13:54-58 offers a profound reflection on the nature of assumptions and the limitations they impose on our understanding and beliefs. In this passage, Jesus returns to his hometown, and the people there are astonished by his wisdom and miraculous works. However, instead of embracing him as the Messiah, they respond with skepticism and disbelief, saying, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?”  After all, wasn’t he just the son of a carpenter? They knew his family. At this point, perhaps it is an honest question? Maybe for some, but we finally read, “And they took offense at him.” Continue reading →

The Tent of Meeting

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In the first reading today (from Exodus 40) we hear of the “Dwelling” or the “tent of meeting” also known as the Tabernacle. It was a “portable” sanctuary used by the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness – portable in the way a large meeting tent can be erected, taken down and transported. It was not a small tent. It is detailed extensively in the Book of Exodus: Continue reading →