The older priests pointed out to him that his job was not to judge but to represent the merciful, loving Christ who told his followers to forgive others “seventy times seven times.” That exchange led me to question if, indeed, there are conflicting notions of “God” within Christianity itself. Are some Christians worshiping idols, even though the name of that idol is “Jesus?”
Category Archives: Compassion
Are We Misreading “The True Spirit of Christmas”?
By Joseph Stoutzenberger, December 24th, 2023. A Christmas Eve morning news program ended with a panel discussing “the true meaning of Christmas.” At the heart of the discussion was, of course, “Keep Christ in Christmas.” One commentator railed against the materialism underlying all the shopping and gift-giving. Another suggested that doing random acts of kindnessContinue reading “Are We Misreading “The True Spirit of Christmas”?”
Children and Visionaries
by Joseph Stoutzenber I was sitting in a newly redecorated university chapel next to an artist friend of mine. I asked him what he thought of the ornate crucifix behind the altar. He responded, “It pretends to be art.” Despite the many failed attempts at artistic expression intended to open one’s gaze to the holyContinue reading “Children and Visionaries”
America, Catholicism, and Race
by Joseph Stoutzenberger In the 1830s, a man who worked common jobs named William Otter kept a journal about his travels through the mid-Atlantic states. He spent some time in my hometown, Columbia, PA, on the banks of the Susquehanna, founded by a Quaker family to ferry people across the river. Columbia is not tooContinue reading “America, Catholicism, and Race”
Hope in a Warming World
By Joseph Stoutzenberger Some friends and I were talking about the crises we are facing today. Someone said, “Every generation has its crises to deal with.” I thought about that. As horrible as they were, no one thought that World Wars I and II would bring about the end of life on earth. Earlier pandemicsContinue reading “Hope in a Warming World”
The Art of Seeing
by Joseph Stoutzenberger In the 1970s, I taught religion in a Catholic suburban high school. An older man, part of the janitorial staff, cleaned the bathrooms and emptied the overflowing trash cans in the cafeteria after lunch. Generally, he was one of those invisible people, like wallpaper or one of the fixtures he cleaned, thatContinue reading “The Art of Seeing”
Creation Spirituality
It is rather interesting that the longest chapter in this slender volume is the introduction, where the author outlines his premise that Saint Francis of Assisi remains an example to the global community in the 21st century, especially when it comes to the Catholic Church’s very recent shift toward care for creation.
Beauty and Awe
by Joseph Stoutzenberger Those of us watching the news this August 2023 are seeing images of what was once the beautiful, lush, verdant Maui Island of Hawaii, now devasted by wildfires sparked by unusually dry conditions. We have also been constantly viewing beautiful people and places in Ukraine being destroyed, such as the magnificent TransfigurationContinue reading “Beauty and Awe”
A House of Many Mansions
He said that “each person encounters God by their own way.” When Pope Francis made those remarks, he was not sitting in his study pouring over law books. He was looking out over the sea of young faces, each one of which he saw as beautiful.
Should People Follow Their Conscience? Seeking Common Ground
by Joseph Stoutzenber
I recently ran across a quote that spoke to me about my own ventures into writing about religious topics. In his book The Enthusiast, Jon M. Sweeney quotes religion scholar Wendy Doniger as saying: “It’s hard to imagine how you could write about any subject as sensitive as religion or history without outraging someone.”
Joseph Stoutzenberger 