God as Ipsum Esse: God is the source of all existence, the act of being itself, where essence and existence coincide.
Theological Obscurity: Like incense in Catholic Mass that clouds vision, theological language is meant to obscure certain truths about God to prevent humans from reducing God to something comprehensible.
God’s Independence from Creation: God does not need the world, which is a fundamental point in Catholic tradition. This lack of need allows God to love the world purely and fully.
2. Creation and the Question of Why
Why Would God Create?: Since God lacks nothing, creation must stem from something other than necessity.
God Creates Out of Love: Love, in this context, is defined as willing the good of the other for their own sake. Because God does not need the world, creation is an act of love—God wills the good of the world without self-interest.
Creation Without Violence: Unlike many ancient creation myths involving violent conflict, the biblical creation account is non-violent, achieved through God’s word and love. This contrasts with the human assumption that order is restored through violence.
3. Genesis and the Structure of Creation
Liturgical Procession in Genesis: The days of creation in Genesis resemble a liturgical procession, leading up to the creation of humans. Humans are to lead creation in the right praise of God.
Symbolism of Worship: Everything in creation, though good, is not to be worshipped. Humans are meant to lead creation in worship rather than dominate it.
4. Right Praise and Worship
Right Praise: Worship is crucial to keeping life in harmony. The Bible repeatedly shows that Israel falls into chaos when it practices false worship.
Adoration and Right Alignment: True adoration (adoratio) is being in right alignment with God, like being mouth-to-mouth with the divine. This leads to internal harmony, much like the rose window in a cathedral.
Worship vs. False Worship: The right worship of God brings internal and external harmony, whereas false worship leads to disintegration.
5. The Fall and the Knowledge of Good and Evil
The Divine Permission and Prohibition: God grants humanity the freedom to partake in the goodness of creation but prohibits eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree represents the prerogative of determining good and evil, which belongs solely to God.
Nietzsche and Modern Parallels: Modern philosophy, particularly Nietzsche and existentialism, embodies this same rebellion—asserting human will over divine authority by claiming the right to define morality.
6. Noah’s Ark and Sin’s Return
The Flood as Tohu Wa-Bohu: The chaos of sin, represented by the primordial waters, reasserts itself in the flood. Noah’s Ark, symbolizing a microcosm of God’s order, is God’s rescue operation from the forces of sin.
The Church as Noah’s Ark: Churches, like Noah’s Ark, preserve God’s right order through worship. They serve as sanctuaries of right praise amidst the chaos of the world.
7. Human Cities and Violence
Cain and the Founding of Cities: Cain, the first murderer, is also the founder of cities, symbolizing that human society often rests on violence. This is contrasted with the Kingdom of God, which is founded on peace and right praise.
Tower of Babel: The story of Babel illustrates humanity’s attempt to grasp at God rather than worship God. This misuse of unity for oppressive purposes leads to divine scattering, limiting sin’s destructive capacity.
8. Abraham and the Call of Faith
Abraham as the Father of Faith: Abraham responds to the voice of God, marking the beginning of a new rescue operation in which God forms a holy people. His willingness to follow the divine voice is the essence of faith.
Faith and Trust: Faith is not credulity but trust in God’s voice. It involves a willingness to leave behind comfort and security for the unknown journey with God.
9. The Law of the Gift
Receiving and Giving Grace: The spiritual life is governed by the principle that when you receive grace and give it away, you receive more in return. Withholding grace leads to its loss, while sharing it multiplies it.
10. The Binding of Isaac (Akedah)
Abraham’s Ultimate Test: The sacrifice of Isaac is one of the most challenging and troubling passages in the Bible, asking whether Abraham loves God or simply the benefits God provides. This test reveals the depth of Abraham’s faith.
Do We Love God or His Gifts?: This narrative forces a distinction between loving God for who He is versus loving the benefits He provides. True worship is about loving God, not merely what He gives us.
11. Job and Other Tests of Faith
Job’s Test: Like Abraham, Job is tested to determine if he loves God or the benefits of God. Despite losing everything, Job remains faithful, providing a model of true worship.
The Prodigal Son and the Challenge of Faith: Similar tests are found throughout scripture, with Jesus challenging his followers to prioritize their love for God over any earthly obligation, even when it seems harsh.
12. The Cross as the Fulfillment of Faith
Christ’s Ultimate Sacrifice: Jesus, stripped of all earthly benefits, remains faithful to God’s will, demonstrating the ultimate expression of faith. His crucifixion embodies the question, “Do you love God or the benefits of God?”
13. Conclusion: The Right Ordering of Life
The Central Question: The key to a harmonious life is the right worship of God. Bad praise leads to disintegration, while right praise brings harmony. The question of whether we love God or merely His benefits is the crux of the spiritual life.
Ipsum Esse: God as the source of all existence, where essence and existence coincide.
Actus Purus: The totality of being, containing everything possible.
God’s Incense and Theological Language: The use of incense in Mass symbolizes theological language as a means of obscuring, preventing the grasping tendency of the ego. The language of theology is intended to help us approach God humbly, knowing we cannot fully comprehend Him.
Why Would God Create?
Not out of need: God has everything and needs nothing from creation.
Creation as Love: God creates out of love, willing the good of creation without any self-interest.
Love as Willed Good: Love is not a feeling but the will of good for another. This contrasts human love, which is often tainted by self-interest.
God’s Glory: The purpose of creation is to manifest God’s loving nature and glory. Since God doesn’t need the world, His relationship with it is purely loving and non-manipulative.
The Creation Account in Genesis
Non-Violent Creation
Creation by Speech: God creates the world through speech, not violence. His act of creation is peaceful, unlike ancient myths where creation involved conquering chaos or enemies.
Tohu wa-bohu: The Hebrew term for “primal chaos” or “watery chaos.” It symbolizes resistance to God, later seen in the flood, the Red Sea, and Jesus walking on water.
The Liturgical Nature of Creation
Orderly Creation: Creation unfolds in a liturgical procession, reflecting order. Like a liturgical procession, creation has a structure that culminates with humanity.
Humanity’s Role: Humans come last in the creation narrative, symbolizing our role as leaders of praise. Creation is not to be worshiped, but rather all elements of creation are meant to participate in a chorus of praise to God.
Not Domination: Humanity’s role is not domination over creation, but leadership in offering right praise.
Right Praise and Worship
Right Praise Aligns the World
Worship vs. False Worship: When humanity offers right praise, the world is ordered as God intends. False worship, or idolatry, leads to chaos and degradation.
Adoration: The term “adoration” comes from the Latin ad ora meaning “to the mouth.” True adoration is being “mouth to mouth” with God, symbolizing intimate alignment with His will.
The Rose Window: The image of the rose window in Gothic cathedrals symbolizes the rightly ordered soul, where all aspects of life revolve around Christ at the center.
False Worship and Its Consequences
Worship of Creatures: False worship—giving ultimate value to creatures rather than God—leads to disintegration and chaos. The harmony of life falls apart when we place anything other than God at the center.
Disintegration: When we place wealth, power, honor, or anything else as our highest value, our lives lose coherence, becoming like a shattered rose window, a cacophony instead of a symphony.
Biblical Patterns of Worship
Israel’s Struggles: The Bible shows that Israel’s downfall always stems from false worship. When right praise is restored, the world returns to harmony.
The Tower of Babel: The story of Babel represents humanity’s attempt to grasp at God, seeking power and unity for the wrong purposes. God scatters them, limiting the damage done by sin.
The Call of Abraham and the Nature of Faith
Abraham as Father of Faith
Hearing the Voice of God: Abraham begins the rescue operation of humanity by responding to God’s call. Faith in the Bible is not credulity but trustful acceptance of God’s voice.
Conscience as the Voice of God: The voice of conscience is the “aboriginal vicar of Christ in the soul,” according to John Henry Newman. It represents the inner call to follow God’s will.
The Akedah (The Binding of Isaac)
The Ultimate Test of Faith: God’s command to sacrifice Isaac tests Abraham’s faith. It asks the profound question: Do we love God, or do we love the benefits of God?
Job’s Parallel: The story of Job echoes the same theme, questioning whether we love God or merely His gifts.
The Law of the Gift and Spiritual Growth
Giving Away Grace
The Law of the Gift: When we receive grace and give it away, it returns to us multiplied. Holding onto grace selfishly leads to losing it.
Faith and Abundance: Trust in God leads to life and abundance, symbolized in God’s promise to Abraham of countless descendants.
Breathing Life Into the World
Two Types of People: Those who “suck air out of a room” and those who “breathe life into a room.” People of faith are those who bring life and grace into the world.
Conclusion: The Test of Love and Faith
Loving God vs. Loving Benefits
Abraham’s Clarity: The binding of Isaac is the ultimate test of whether Abraham loves God for who He is or only for the benefits God provides.
Christ as the Ultimate Example: Jesus on the cross is the purest expression of loving God. Stripped of all benefits—honor, friends, dignity—Jesus remained faithful to the will of His Father.
Right Praise as the Key to Harmony
The Core of Faith: Right praise and worship lead to harmony, coherence, and life. False worship leads to chaos, desert, and disintegration.
One of the challenges of reading the Bible is losing sight of the bigger picture—often getting confused by its names, stories, and structure.
God’s name is “I am who I am”: This reflects that God is not just one of many beings but the source of all existence. God cannot be grasped or hidden from but calls us into a relationship of love.
God creates out of love, with no need for the world, and therefore loves it purely for its own sake.
Right ordering of life comes from worshiping the true God: This leads to harmony and order within our souls, making us radiate goodness around us.
2. The Story of Creation and Human Beings
Genesis: Describes creation in a liturgical procession where each element is good and should not be worshiped as gods, but as part of a chorus of praise to the one God.
Human beings come last in this procession, representing the leaders of this praise.
Key takeaway: Right praise and worship of the true God brings about proper harmony in ourselves and the world.
3. Spiritual Freedom vs. Enslavement
Spiritual freedom comes from being in right relationship with God, while enslavement results from false worship.
When we worship things like wealth, power, pleasure, or honor, they enslave us because they cannot satisfy the infinite longing within us.
St. Augustine’s quote: “Our heart is restless until it rests in you, O God” reflects this yearning for something infinite.
4. The Story of Moses and the Exodus
Moses’ mission: After encountering God, he is sent to liberate the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This mission is not only about political freedom but also spiritual freedom.
Pharaoh’s resistance: Represents the internal struggle we all face when trying to free ourselves from sin or addiction.
The Ten Plagues symbolize God dethroning the false gods of Egypt, showing that all elements of creation come from God and should not be deified.
“Let my people go that they might worship me”: Liberation is always tied to worshiping God rightly.
5. The Importance of Right Worship
The Israelites are liberated from Egypt not just for freedom’s sake, but to worship God in the desert and follow the law.
True freedom is connected to obedience to God’s law, leading us to internalize it and live in harmony with God.
Freedom of Indifference vs. Freedom for Excellence:
Freedom of Indifference: Modern view of freedom as the ability to choose between options, often seeing laws as limitations.
Freedom for Excellence: Disciplining our desires so that achieving the good becomes effortless—like mastering a language or musical instrument.
6. Challenges on the Journey to the Promised Land
Pharaoh’s pursuit of the Israelites after they escape Egypt reflects how our old habits and sins continue to chase us even after we begin the path to spiritual freedom.
The Red Sea symbolizes chaos and the obstacles we face, but with trust in God, these obstacles part to create a path forward.
Mount Sinai: Represents the goal of our spiritual journey—to encounter God and receive His law. True liberty is found in obedience to the law.
7. The Battle with Amalek
Amalekites: Symbolize the external forces opposed to our spiritual liberation. Israel wins by right praise—Moses keeps his arms raised in prayer during the battle.
This battle represents the constant struggle between false worship and true worship.
8. Lessons from King Saul and Amalek
King Saul’s failure: Saul defeats the Amalekites but spares their king, Agag, and some animals. Prophet Samuel rebukes him, showing that partial victories over sin are dangerous.
Message: We must eradicate sin completely, not leave any remnants behind, as these will eventually rise against us.
9. The Story of Eli and His Sons
Eli and his wicked sons: Hophni and Phineas, priests who abuse their positions, represent the corruption that can arise even within religious institutions.
Disaster for Israel: Their sins bring disaster in battle, leading to the loss of the Ark of the Covenant and Eli’s death.
This story parallels modern instances of religious corruption, emphasizing the need for true leadership and accountability.
10. The Loop of Grace and Hannah’s Gift
Hannah’s story: Despite being childless, she prays for a son, and when she is given Samuel, she returns him to God to be raised as a priest.
The Loop of Grace: When we receive gifts from God, we must not cling to them. Instead, we give them back to God, allowing grace to multiply.
This is the same principle as the feeding of the 5,000—what is given as a gift will increase when offered back to God.
11. Conclusion: Worship, Law, and Liberation
The journey toward the Promised Land represents our spiritual path to liberation, but this path is only possible through right worship and obedience to God’s law.
The Bible repeatedly shows us that spiritual freedom and true worship are inseparable, and only through these can we reach the ultimate goal—union with God.
David is a pivotal figure in the Bible, looking back toward Adam and forward to Jesus, the “Son of David.”
David embodies the roles of priest, prophet, and king.
2. David as the Sweet Singer of Israel
David the musician: He first appears playing the harp for King Saul to relieve him from headaches, reflecting David’s ability to touch hearts through music.
Lyrical leadership: Great leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Martin Luther King Jr., led through the power of language, expressing their nations’ and people’s spirit.
The power of song: David’s connection to the Psalms represents his role as someone who understands and uses words to move others spiritually.
Modern call: There is a need for “sweet singers” today in Christianity, to express biblical truths in a compelling and lyrical way.
3. David as the Warrior
David vs. Goliath: This iconic story shows David’s courage and faith in God. Goliath represents worldly power and intimidation, but David trusts in the Lord and overcomes him with a simple slingshot.
Spiritual meaning: David’s battle reflects the believer’s struggle against the powers of a materialistic world. We are called to face worldly challenges with trust in God, not by using the world’s weapons.
John Paul II in Poland: His speech in 1979 without military power, yet sparking the collapse of Soviet dominance, exemplifies this biblical principle of spiritual warfare through faith.
David’s downfall: In 2 Samuel 11, David becomes complacent, stays home instead of going to battle, and sins with Bathsheba, showing that even great leaders can fall when they stop listening to God.
4. David as the Priest
The Ark of the Covenant: David brings the Ark into Jerusalem, understanding that right worship is essential for the kingdom’s well-being.
Priestly actions: David dons an ephod (priestly garment) and dances with abandon before the Ark, symbolizing his alignment with God’s will through worship.
The dance of praise: David’s dance represents being in rhythm and harmony with God, and it serves as a model for liturgical actions later in the Temple and in Christian worship.
5. David’s Role Anticipating Christ
Priest, Prophet, and King: David prefigures Christ in these three roles, as Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of David’s lineage.
Jesus as the New David: In the genealogy of Matthew, Jesus is presented as the Son of David, the long-awaited Messiah who embodies these three offices.
The Temple: David’s vision of the Temple as the meeting place of heaven and earth is realized in Jesus, who becomes the true Temple where God and humanity meet.
6. Elijah: The Great Prophet
Elijah’s confrontation with Ahab: Elijah emerges to confront King Ahab, who led Israel into idolatry by worshiping false gods, primarily Baal.
Bad worship = bad society: Elijah shows how false worship leads to societal and spiritual decay, invoking a drought as a consequence of Israel’s idolatry.
The showdown at Mount Carmel: Elijah challenges the 450 prophets of Baal in a public display of faith. Despite their efforts, Baal’s prophets fail to summon fire, while Elijah’s prayer to God is answered with fire from heaven.
Right worship: Elijah’s victory illustrates that only worship of the true God brings fulfillment, while false gods (wealth, power, pleasure, and honor) lead to emptiness.
7. Isaiah’s Call to Prophecy
Isaiah’s vision: In Isaiah 6, Isaiah encounters God on a throne, surrounded by seraphim who proclaim, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” This vision reveals the transcendence and immanence of God.
The call to mission: Isaiah, aware of his sinfulness in the presence of God, receives purification through a burning coal, symbolizing divine grace. He then responds to God’s call, saying, “Here I am; send me!”
The Book of Jonah: A Quirky, Short but Powerful Story
Introduction to Jonah
Unique Focus: Jonah’s story is not centered on his preaching but on him as a character.
Not a Hero: Jonah is not presented as a great spiritual hero but as a compromised figure, which allows us to learn how to relate to God.
Jonah’s Call and Rebellion
God’s Voice: Jonah hears the voice of God, like Abraham and other figures, but the voice is challenging, calling him to confront Nineveh, the enemy of Israel.
Jonah’s Reaction: Jonah flees in the opposite direction, showing human resistance to God’s disruptive voice, which is often channeled through conscience.
The Flight and the Storm
Resistance to God: Jonah’s attempt to flee results in a storm, showing that resisting God’s will brings chaos, not just for Jonah but for others around him.
Spiritual Physics: Just as Adam and Eve’s rebellion led from the garden to the desert, Jonah’s disobedience leads to storms.
Jonah’s Impact on Others
Interconnectedness: Jonah’s resistance affects others, reflecting how our spiritual decisions influence those around us.
Jonah Takes Responsibility: Jonah admits his fault, and after being thrown overboard, the storm calms.
The Great Fish and Jonah’s Transformation
The Fish: Jonah is swallowed by a great fish, symbolizing how his rebellious will must be confined and corrected. This restriction of his freedom is actually what sets him free to follow God’s will.
A Prayer of Despair: Jonah prays honestly from the belly of the fish, expressing his distress but placing it in God’s presence. This prayer represents turning suffering into a moment of reconnection with God.
Jonah’s Return to God’s Path
God’s Mercy: After Jonah’s repentance, the fish spews him out where God wants him to be, showing that God’s plan will bring us to the right place, even through suffering.
Jonah’s Sermon: Jonah finally delivers a short sermon to Nineveh, leading to the city’s repentance, showing the immense power of aligning with God’s will.
Jonah’s Frustration with God’s Mercy
Unexpected Reaction: Instead of rejoicing, Jonah is angry that God is merciful to Nineveh. He wanted punishment for the enemies of Israel.
Jonah’s Reluctance: Jonah reveals that he fled because he knew God would be merciful, and this frustrated his desire for judgment against Nineveh.
The Lesson: Jonah’s story highlights the challenge of accepting God’s universal mercy, even toward our enemies.
The Deeper Spiritual Meaning
Jonah’s Story and Us: Jonah’s struggle reflects the common human resistance to God’s mercy, especially when we want judgment instead of forgiveness.
God’s Universal Love: Jonah’s frustration serves as a judgment on all of us who struggle to accept the depth of God’s love, which extends even to those we consider enemies.
Jonah in Literature
Moby Dick: Melville’s novel offers one of the best sermons on Jonah, exploring its deep spiritual truths.
Transition to the New Testament: Preparing the Ground
The Importance of the Old Testament
Understanding Jesus: To understand Jesus fully, we must understand the Old Testament. The Old and New Testaments are deeply connected, and God speaks through both.
Rejecting Marcionism: The early Church rejected Marcionism, which proposed separating the Old Testament from the New. The Church affirmed that the same God is present in both.
Israel’s Institutions and Messianic Longing
Covenant and Torah: The institutions of Israel (Torah, covenant, Temple, prophecy) were meant to reconcile divinity and humanity.
Messianic Hope: Over time, Israel began to long for a new David, a Messiah, who would fulfill these promises and bring God’s full presence to His people.
The Dual Expectation
Human and Divine Messiah: The Old Testament anticipates both a human figure (the new David) and God Himself coming to shepherd His people.
Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Old Testament
Jesus: Son of David and God Incarnate
Davidic Lineage: The New Testament presents Jesus as the son of David, fulfilling the messianic expectations.
Divine Identity: Jesus is also revealed as God incarnate, not just another prophet but the God of Israel in human form.
High Christology in the Gospels
Forgiveness of Sins: Jesus forgives sins, an act reserved for God alone, revealing His divine authority.
Authority Over the Torah: Jesus teaches with authority, saying, “But I say to you,” placing Himself above even the Torah.
Lord of the Sabbath: Jesus declares Himself the Lord of the Sabbath, a claim to divinity.
Theological Clarification: The Nature of Christ
Early Christological Debates
Monophysitism: This view held that Jesus was only divine, with His humanity being an afterthought.
Nestorianism: Nestorius viewed Jesus as a super-saint, a human with a special relationship with God.
Arianism: Arius argued that Jesus was a demi-god, not fully divine but a high creature of God.
The Council of Chalcedon (451 AD)
Two Natures in One Person: Chalcedon affirmed that Jesus is fully divine and fully human, two natures united without confusion or mixing.
The Burning Bush Analogy
Divinity and Humanity: Just as the burning bush was on fire but not consumed, Jesus’ humanity is fully present and elevated by His divinity without being destroyed.
The Christmas Story: A Subversive Tale
The Birth of Jesus
Contrasting Kingship: Luke contrasts the power of Caesar Augustus with the humble birth of Jesus in a manger, showing that true kingship is found in weakness and vulnerability.
The Shepherds: Lowly shepherds receive the announcement of Jesus’ birth, symbolizing God’s preference for the humble and lowly.
The Army of Angels
Heavenly Host: An army of angels announces Jesus’ birth, signaling that true power belongs to God, not the worldly rulers like Caesar.
The Battle Between Two Visions
Jesus and the World’s Opposition
Clandestine Arrival: C.S. Lewis describes Jesus’ entry into the world as a clandestine mission, slipping behind enemy lines to confront the powers of the world.
Herod’s Reaction: The birth of Jesus causes fear and violence from Herod, representing the world’s opposition to God’s plan.
The Climax: The Cross
The Ultimate Battle: The conflict between the world’s powers and Jesus’ mission culminates in the cross, the supreme battle where divinity and humanity fully confront evil.
Conclusion
Subversive Christmas: The Christmas story is not merely sentimental; it sets the stage for the battle between worldly power and the divine mission of love and salvation that Jesus brings.
Jesus: The Coming Together of Divinity and Humanity
Introduction
Jesus as Savior and Judge: Jesus is the savior who heals broken humanity, but he is also the judge, showing us where we fall short.
Christmas Story: This story presents both the beauty of God’s incarnation and the darkness of the struggle between two visions of life, which culminates in the cross.
Sermon on the Mount: The Standard Teaching of Jesus
Overview of the Sermon
Chapters 5-7 of Matthew: These chapters likely represent the typical teachings of Jesus, remembered and repeated during his life.
Symbols: Jesus delivers the sermon from a mountaintop, symbolizing his role as the new Moses, giving the law from the mountain like Moses on Sinai.
The Beatitudes: A Radical Vision
Blessed Are: The Beatitudes speak of blessedness, happiness, and even luck in aligning with God’s vision for humanity.
Wealth: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Wealth is not evil, but being free from addiction to wealth brings true happiness.
Example: A man who achieved all his financial dreams found himself miserable, demonstrating how wealth cannot satisfy the soul.
Power: “Blessed are the meek.” Power is addictive, but Jesus teaches the value of meekness, which is a countercultural virtue.
Honor: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Seeking honor makes you dependent on others for validation, but true freedom comes from seeking righteousness, not approval.
Pleasure: “Blessed are those who mourn.” Pleasure is not inherently bad, but addiction to pleasure distorts life. Mourning represents freedom from this addiction, a detachment from worldly desires.
The Positive Beatitudes
Mercy: “Blessed are the merciful.” When free from addictions to wealth, power, and pleasure, one becomes a conduit of God’s mercy. True happiness comes from aligning oneself with God’s will.
Purity of Heart: “Blessed are the pure of heart.” Purity of heart means having a single focus on God, without divided loyalties.
Righteousness: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” A righteous person seeks to do God’s will in all circumstances.
Peacemakers: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Those aligned with God naturally bring peace into the world.
Salt and Light: A Call to Action
Salt of the Earth: Jesus’ followers are called to preserve the goodness of the world and make life flavorful with their presence. They are also meant to stand against evil, like salting the earth to prevent bad things from growing.
Light of the World: Christians are meant to illuminate the world with their lives, making God’s truth visible to others.
The Love of Enemies: A Radical Command
Enemy Love as a Test of True Love
Will the Good of the Other: True love is willing the good of the other, even one’s enemies. Jesus’ command to love enemies is the ultimate test of divine love.
God’s Love: God loves everyone equally, whether they are good or bad, and we are called to love in the same way.
Nonviolence and Turning the Other Cheek
Nonviolence as Active Love: Jesus teaches nonviolence, not as passivity, but as a way to confront evil without perpetuating it.
Turning the Other Cheek: This act resists violence while refusing to cooperate with the aggressor’s worldview.
Giving the Cloak: Jesus calls for a provocative response to injustice, using humor and shame to expose wrongdoing.
Historical Examples of Nonviolence
Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.: Both Gandhi and King were inspired by Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence, using them to effect social change.
Example: Archbishop Desmond Tutu used nonviolent humor to confront a racist, showing the power of Jesus’ method.
The Cross: The Climax of Jesus’ Mission
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Jesus’ Descent: The Incarnation is a downward movement, with Jesus descending into the deepest forms of human suffering, including death.
The Cross as the Ultimate Suffering: Crucifixion was the worst form of execution, a state-sponsored terror designed to humiliate and torture.
The Meaning of the Cross
Divine Mercy in Suffering: Jesus entered into the worst of human suffering to bring divine mercy into all aspects of human dysfunction.
Salvation: Jesus’ descent into suffering and death brings healing (salve) to humanity, and his resurrection from the dead is the ultimate victory over death.
The Resurrection: The Source of Christianity
The Good News of Jesus Christ
Resurrection as Proof: The resurrection is the central claim of Christianity, proving that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and inaugurating a new creation.
Mark’s Gospel: The Gospel begins with “the beginning of the good news,” signaling the start of a new world through Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
Revolutionary Language
Son of God: This title was used for Roman emperors, but the early Christians applied it to Jesus, signaling a radical challenge to worldly power.
The Explosive Message of the Gospel: The Gospel’s message of Jesus as the true Son of God was revolutionary, leading many early Christians to persecution and martyrdom.
The Church’s Mission
Salt and Light Today: The Church’s mission is to continue spreading the revolutionary message of Jesus, bringing God’s light and mercy into the world.
Adoratio: Through right worship (adoration of God), Christians become radiant with God’s presence, transforming the world around them.
The fable of Antisthenes, a philosopher who was one of the key figures in the development of Cynicism, is often shared to emphasize the virtue of simplicity and self-sufficiency. While there are several anecdotes attributed to him, one of the most famous is the story of Antisthenes and the Lion:
The Lion and the Hunting Dog
One day, a Lion and a Hunting Dog had a disagreement about which of them was the stronger and more noble animal. The Hunting Dog boasted of his ability to track and capture prey for his master, praising his own skill and usefulness. The Lion, however, responded with a simple, quiet rebuke:
“You may be prized for your usefulness and your ability to serve others. But as for me, I am strong not because I serve anyone, but because I am free. I live for myself and rely on no one.”
This fable reflects Antisthenes’ philosophy, which stressed the importance of freedom, self-sufficiency, and the rejection of dependence on others for validation or material wealth. Like the lion, Antisthenes believed that true strength lies in independence and inner virtue, not in the approval or service of others.
The word compassion comes from the Latin compassio, which itself is derived from the prefix com- meaning “with” and the verb pati, meaning “to suffer.” So, at its root, compassion means “to suffer with.” It refers to the ability to feel and share the pain or suffering of another, a deep empathy that goes beyond sympathy by implying a desire to help alleviate the suffering.
This etymological background highlights that compassion is not just understanding another’s pain, but being moved to take part in it, standing with them in their experience of hardship.
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a cunning king who angered the gods by cheating death multiple times. As a punishment, he was condemned to an eternity of rolling a massive boulder up a hill. Each time he reached the top, the boulder would roll back down, forcing him to start again from the bottom. His punishment was endless and seemingly pointless, representing a cycle of hard work without reward or fulfillment.
Sisyphus’ suffering can be seen as a lesson in endurance and acceptance. Despite the futility of his task, Sisyphus doesn’t give up. He continues to push the boulder, fully aware that it will always roll back down. In this way, he learns to live with his punishment, not by seeking a way out but by embracing the struggle itself.
Instead of resisting or despairing over his fate, Sisyphus finds a kind of strength in continuing his labor. His suffering becomes something he can accept and even own, as he keeps moving forward despite knowing the outcome. By learning to carry on in the face of such difficulty, Sisyphus turns his punishment into a test of resilience and perseverance. His acceptance of the struggle transforms it into a kind of defiance against the gods, as he shows that even in the harshest conditions, he can keep going.
The myth of Sisyphus teaches that while life may present us with challenges that seem never-ending or meaningless, there is power in how we face those challenges. By continuing to push the boulder, Sisyphus affirms his ability to endure, even in the face of endless hardship.
Photography is Infinite: A Journey of Exploration, Chaos, and Creation
You cannot make the same photograph twice. This simple truth echoes in my mind as I stand atop a cliff behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Below me, the Schuylkill River flows, a constant reminder of change. Morning sounds fill the air—birds, cyclists, and people on their daily walks. Boathouse Row, with its stunning architecture and flowing waterfall, stretches out below. As I take in the view of Fairmount Park and the Woodlands, I’m reminded of my youth spent building forts and bridges from stones, creating something from nothing.
Perhaps that is the ultimate goal of an artist: to articulate the unknown, to create from the vastness of possibility. Today, the streets are my new playground, and photography is my means of exploration. Each moment is unique, never to be repeated, and photography—like life itself—is infinite.
Returning to the Basics: Light and Shadow
As an adult, photography has become my medium for expressing this creative spirit. At its core, photography is about one thing: light. Light gives form, shape, and texture to the world around us. Every photograph I make is a testament to the ever-changing relationship between light and shadow. And the most exciting part? No photograph can ever be replicated—each moment is unique, never to be repeated. Photography, then, is infinite, an endless journey of becoming.
Every day presents new opportunities, new images waiting to be captured. And maybe that’s the secret: to remain in a constant state of production. Not to obsess over perfection, not to chase the next “Mona Lisa,” but to simply create. With modern tools—compact digital cameras, iPads, streamlined workflows—there’s no excuse not to embrace the spontaneity of the moment. Photography, for me, is a way of life, a means of understanding the world.
The Streets Are a Playground
I often think of street photography as an ethos. It’s more than just a genre of photography—it’s a way of seeing, of living. The streets are a stage, and the people who walk them are actors in this grand, chaotic play of life. As photographers, we are not just bystanders—we are part of the action. The question is, are we truly present when we press the shutter? Were we brave enough to throw ourselves onto the front lines of life? Because it’s not about “filling the frame” or following rules of composition—it’s about being there, living in that moment.
In conversation with a friend recently, we discussed how filling the frame is one thing, but being there, really being there, is what matters. A technically beautiful photograph is nice, but it’s the courage to capture the rawness, the chaos, that creates something powerful.
Embracing Spontaneity and Letting Go
In an era of curated perfection, I’ve come to appreciate the beauty of letting go—of embracing the imperfections and spontaneity that life offers. Street photography is chaos personified, especially in a city like Philadelphia. The key is to embrace it. Life is unpredictable, and the most powerful photographs come from embracing that uncertainty.
I’m constantly walking the streets, camera in hand. The Ricoh GR III is my tool of choice, small enough to fit in my pocket, with a wrist strap that lets me maneuver quickly and experiment with different angles and perspectives. I don’t overthink it—I let intuition guide me, using the camera to articulate my gut feelings and capture moments as they come.
There’s no need to hunt for the perfect picture or to wait for the ideal moment. Instead, I slow down—75% slower than everyone else—and let life come to me. This slower pace allows me to see more, to observe the subtleties, the details that others might miss. And with each photograph, I remind myself that the next one is always my best.
The Realm of Art: Our New Frontier
In a world where there is little left for humans to conquer, I believe art is our new frontier. Modern life is full of convenience—paved streets, traffic lights, and Amazon deliveries—but art offers us a realm where we can still assert our creative dominance. Photography, in particular, offers endless possibilities. I think of the sculptors whose works stand proudly outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. These sculptures, these warriors on horseback, have stood the test of time, inspiring generations.
As photographers, we, too, can create something that stands the test of time. But it’s important to break away from outdated notions of success. Galleries, books, and film cameras—while respectable—belong to an earlier era. Today, we should strive to make art that speaks to the present, that pushes boundaries.
Detaching from the Outcome
Over the past year and a half, I’ve detached myself from the outcome of my photography. I shoot every day without worrying about whether the work is “good” or “bad.” I don’t make immediate selections, because great work takes time. I back up my photos daily, but I don’t dwell on them. I know that the strongest work comes from years of dedication, from continually throwing myself into the act of creating.
Nature: My Office and My Inspiration
Most of my days are spent outside, walking, observing, creating. I rarely sit inside because I believe the sun and nature fuel creativity. My office is the outdoors—thank God William Penn decided to preserve these green spaces in the city. Walking through nature, observing architecture, and reflecting on history are constant sources of inspiration. The change over time is profound, yet there’s a timelessness to these spaces.
Street photography allows me to be a tourist in my own hometown, each day waking up with wide eyes, eager to explore. It’s about living fully in the present, seeing the world through the eyes of a child, and appreciating the endless possibilities life offers.
A Call to Create
So, what’s the takeaway? Photography is more than a medium—it’s a way of being. It’s about moving beyond consumption and embracing creation. Unsubscribe from distractions. Stop chasing validation through likes and followers. Instead, grab your camera, walk out the door, and create. Life is too short to do otherwise.
Each photograph is a reflection of the moment, a way of connecting with life on a deeper level. And that’s what keeps me going. The infinite potential of photography, the beauty of creation, the joy in walking the streets with a camera—it’s all part of this life-affirming practice.
I walk through Philadelphia each day with a sense of wonder, curiosity, and purpose. I photograph because it brings me closer to life, to the chaos and beauty that surrounds us. The unknown is where I thrive, and maybe, just maybe, it’s where we all should strive to be.
