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Red rose symbolizing martyrdom

IN MEMORY OF PERPETUA (c. 182 A.D. – c. 203 A.D.)

And Felicitas. The red rose is the symbol for Christians who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their Lord. As Peter who was crucified upside down with his wife did. As Paul who was beheaded under Nero did. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was hung under Hitler did. As the blessed martyrs Perpetua and Felicity under Septimus Severus did. I have to say that except perhaps for Polycarp, Perpetua is my favorite martyr. The date of her martyrdom is generally observed...

Watching for Jesus

WATCHING FOR JESUS

We’ve all seen them. Cats who spend hours on hours day after day, year after year haunched on a window sill, peering at the world beyond. Why do they do this? Well, sure, they do it for the warmth of the sun, perhaps out of curiosity, perhaps because windows are elevated and heigth to a cat is a sign of dominance. Or, maybe they are just bored. But those aren’t the only reasons, perhaps not even the main reason. Watching...

IN THIS LIFE. . .

In 416 B.C., Athens and Sparta were at war. Caught in the middle of these two powerful belligerents was Melos, a small island in the Aegean Sea which tried desparately to maintain its neutrality. Though many Melians were related to the people of Sparta, Melos was careful not to give Athens a reason to harm them. The Melosian men talked each day among themselves of the weather, of sports and wine, perhaps just the common aches and pains of growing...

Незваный гость хуже татарина

Незваный гость хуже татарина

The curtains on this scene in the drama have parted, and Russian tanks are well on their way to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. Some would say the war began almost a decade ago, when Russia annexed Crimea. The title of this post roughly translated from Russian means “an uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar.” Незваный гость хуже татарина is explained as follows: “No one likes an unexpected guest or visitor, even though they might pretend to from time...

Exit, pursued by a bear

EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR

Wars and rumors of war In His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), Jesus spoke of the end times, specifically of “wars and rumors of war,” warning that these were signs that the end was approaching. Indeed, we’ve had perhaps hundreds of such conflicts since He first spoke these words. So, war is nothing new. What is new is the ability of one person with his finger on the “button” to destroy civilization. I recently heard Ret. US Army General Wesley Clark,...

a niente: When you feel like you can't go on.

A NIENTE

I was watching highlights of the Beijing Olympic figure skating competition last evening and my thoughts went to Condoleezza Rice, a personal hero of mine who might have made the U.S. Olympic figure skating team herself years ago. One little known fact about her is the origin of her first name (Condoleezza) which is a musical term defined as “to play sweetly with feeling.” And if being an awesome athlete isn’t enough, she was also a concert pianist, who at...

The Church and the Charioteer

THE CHURCH AND THE CHARIOTEER

Once again, I’d like to borrow, perhaps misappropriate an allegory from Plato (this time from Phaedrus, sections 246a–254e). My readings many years ago of the early church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Eusebius, Augustine and others convinced me that there was a certain admiration for Plato back then and a usefulness in his writings when contrasted–or even compared–with the Gospel. In this post, I’d like to borrow Plato’s charioteer illustration. In so many words, Plato speaks of a charioteer driving...

Best practices

BEST PRACTICES

  • January 28, 2022
  • /
  • Faith

I was in a webinar yesterday that was open to the public and which featured Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO. As you might imagine, the focus was on the Ukraine and Russia’s intentions on the eve of what might mean war. A catastrophic war. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Secretary General Stoltenberg is precisely the sort of leader that NATO needs as the West seeks to understand and confront this threat to the sovereignty...

The true test of greatness

THE TRUE TEST OF GREATNESS

The XXIV Olympic Winter Games (起向未来) In another two weeks, thousands of athletes from ninety countries will be descending on Beijing for the 24th Winter Olympic Games. For atheltes, this is the true test of greatness. While the very first Olympics were held in Greece in the 8th Century B.C., the modern Olympics debuted in 1896. Neither of the events included what we know as winter sports. The Olympics were, then as they are now, very important events. In fact, time...

Do not fall victim to false gods again

“DO NOT FALL VICTIM TO FALSE GODS AGAIN”

Yesterday, Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan sentenced a January 6th rioter from Utah who stole a decorative flag while unlawfully within the Capitol building during the infamous insurrection. The rioter also recorded himself on that occasion saying that he was willing to “die for Trump.” Except for the theft of the flag which has since been retrieved from the defendant’s home, the only charges presented were “Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds”; “Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in...

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