Seeing Dante with Botticelli’s eyes
Joseph Luzzi tells the rich, entertaining story of the Renaissance artist’s renderings of a quintessentially medieval text.
An oracle of the word of the Lord?
In the late 70s, two friends of mine housesat for the poet James Merrill—and got out his Ouija board.
A story without a hero
The Gospels show Jesus as prophet, teacher, and miracle worker. But most intriguingly, they depict him as a storyteller--one who could not only draw a crowd but keep it riveted.
The art of losing, the joy of finding
I have no idea what it would mean to be a shepherd, let alone someone who would abandon 99 sheep to go looking for a single stray.
September 18, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13
What is Jesus thinking when he tells the parable of the dishonest steward?
September 11, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Exodus 32:7-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
James calls Abraham a “friend of God.” In this week’s reading from Exodus, Moses presumes upon a similar divine friendship to offer God advice.
A taste for Dante
A. N. Wilson's literary biography aims to bridge the gap between the Commedia and nonspecialists who, allegedly abandoned by the professionals, are like sheep without a shepherd.
God the troublemaker: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29
Going into the temple of the Lord would never be taken lightly. Still, Isaiah could not have imagined what was about to happen.
A song for the Sabbath: Psalm 92
Most worshipers take the psalms for granted, treating them like background music that establishes a mood but has little grip on the imagination....
West coast witness: Matthew 16:13-20
As some friends and I ate a picnic lunch, we fell into a rambling conversation about politics, real estate values in an earthquake zone and the virtues of sauvignon blanc over chardonnay. Then I mentioned offhandedly that perhaps I viewed something or other the way I did because I was a Christian. This revelation did not strike me as a big deal. After all, they had been talking about Buddhist meditation, Sufi parables and personal spiritual rituals.