Psychology is a broad field, but could be defined simply as ‘the study of human behavior and motivation.’ It became a scientific discipline a mere hundred years ago, but authors have been making psychological observations since the beginning of literature. The Bible, for example, though dealing primarily with our relationship...
King Agamemnon, in grief at seeing “mighty Hector killing his Argives,” finally recognized the injustice of his taking the woman Briseis by force from Achilles. He proclaimed, “I was blind, but I will now make atonement.” Is this true repentance? He does admit guilt, but then protests, “the gods struck...
King Agamemnon’s apology to Achilles (see “Homer I” article), and the latter’s rejection of it, take place in an assembly of the Greek warlords who face almost certain defeat—death or enslavement—if they battle without Achilles. The warlords are willing to risk their lives for their civilization, but in a tribal...
Today’s lesson is from Homer, who, though perhaps not a philosopher, is yet philosophical in his portrayal of human existence. From Homer’s writing, we might define the human person as the being who lives out a call, or destiny, coming from the divine realm and requiring a response. A person...
What lessons can philosophy teach a Christian? Philosophy can mean reasoning out answers to abstruse questions, as one might suspect, but in our case it means the pursuit of Wisdom (philosophy is literally “love of wisdom”) by which we fulfill our human potential (Aristotle, Ethics I.7). Wisdom acquired brings in...
Pope Benedict claims that our worlds, both “first” and “third,” are in a crisis diagnosed as “the inability of Joy” and caused by another crisis, “the inability to love.” Is Pope Benedict claiming that parents no longer love their children, or children their parents? Or that friends no longer care...
God “gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish” (Jn 3:16), and yet, “God wants all to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4). Clearly Jesus came to redeem all people, but what about those who do not believe in Jesus because they have never heard of...
According to I Thessalonians 5:9: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus, by his death and resurrection, is the redeemer of humankind (the title of Blessed John Paul II’s first encyclical) – whether the person accepts it or not, or...
In Today’s first reading, we see King David repentance, “I have sinned against the Lord”, and God’s forgiveness (2 Sam 12:13). David committed two sins, adultery and murder, which separated him from God, but his repentance restored the relationship. Not every sin separates a person from God, but every sin, by its...
After 2,000 yr. Jesus is still bringing people “abundant life” (Jn 10:10), as this parishioner of ours can testify: “Because of a difficult childhood, I had became embittered. I trusted no one, not even God, and could not control my anger. I threw tools at co-workers and company phones at...