One Body, Washed

(excerpt) So much that adults do and say makes little sense in the minds of children. I can’t imagine that I was the only small child of Christian parents who ever puzzled over the oddity of a day that came once a year, just before Easter. It was Monday Thursday, a day that was somehow two days of the week at once. Like the official lyrics of several hymns I’d memorized by hearing them sung repeatedly, the name of this peculiar Thursday got straightened out, at least partially, when I learned to read. Even though “Maundy” made no sense, it made better sense than Monday Thursday

The Resurrection of our Lord Series C

(Excerpt) Luke\u27s empty tomb story has several typically Lukan features. First, the scene has an aura of calm when compared to Mark\u27s report that the women ran away frightened and dumbstruck, or Matthew\u27s picture of the angel who comes and scares the soldiers to death. This same calmness was in evidence throughout Luke\u27s passion narrative. Second, the two men whose clothing reminds the reader of the Transfiguration in Luke (9:29-30), and whose question to the women reminds the reader of the ascension scene in Acts (1:10-11), speak a message which is one of Luke\u27s most consistent themes: It was necessary ( dei) that the Son of Man be delivered ... and on the third day rise. Third, the centrality of Jerusalem in Luke is accommodated in the same speech, as the women are not bidden to go to Galilee as in Matthew and Mark. Instead, they are to remember what Jesus had said while they were all still in Galilee

The Message Is from God

(Excerpt) I never settled on an opening line for this presentation, so I\u27ll simply tell you that it\u27s a humbling thing to stand here today charged with giving the keynote address for a gathering of the Institute for Liturgical Studies. I have attended this conference for many years-not for as long as many of you, but in twenty-six years at Valparaiso University I recall only one institute I missed completely. That means I\u27ve heard at least a hundred institute talks from this podium, and the excellence of the speakers here has consistently enriched and encouraged, sometimes entertained, and often awed me. Thus, it\u27s an honor, a weighty matter, to be here

Sermon at the Holy Communion

(Excerpt) I have been told that when you are dying of thirst, you crave salt--not water, but salt. Your last efforts are spent seeking desperately that very thing which will hasten your end. So it is, I fear, with all of our terrible thirsts. The alcoholic, sick and frightened to death of his thirst, finds a temporary peace only in one more day and one more night of stupor. The adulterer, so very ashamed and so strangely alone, finds a momentary solace only in the forgetfulness of just one more forbidden embrace

The Mystery of Marriage.

The article presents the author\u27s reflections on marriage and the subtle and inexplicable ways which the shared relationship affects both partners. Anecdotes are given describing different marriages, each with positive and negative aspects. The Biblical theology of marriage, both for humanity and as a broader metaphor, is also explored

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least 4 m. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the 6.5 m James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 yr, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit