Persistent Prayer
Persistence is one of the hallmarks of Christian prayer. Abraham is persistent in interceding with God on behalf of the town of Sodom. Even so, Sodom was destroyed because not even 10 righteous men could be found. Were Abraham’s efforts in vain? Surely God knew the number of good peopleContinue Reading
How to Draw Angels, part II
How to Draw Angels, Part I Angels in Contemporary Art More often than not angels in contemporary art are depicted in one of two ways, either as pudgy children with small wings or as graceful winged female figures, with shining golden hair, sweet faces, and impossibly long flowing garments. These images mayContinue Reading
Hear, O Israel…
In the story of Mary and Martha, we may be left a little confused. Why was Martha rebuked for her hospitality? Even looking to the first reading does not help much as it seems to be entirely focused on Abraham’s hospitality to the Lord. But remember, Martha was not scoldedContinue Reading
How to Draw Angels, part I
The depiction of angels offers a wonderful example of the difference between Secular Art and Religious Art. I am going to concern myself here primarily with Religious Art (shocking, I know) but first let me offer a definition of the term, at least how I use it. By Religious ArtContinue Reading
God is Ever Near to Us
St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians echoes the Gospel according to Saint John. “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” All of creation was made through Christ the Word. He is the archetype of all being and we are His image.Continue Reading
Picking Ourselves Up
There are times when, despite our best efforts, we fail. Even though we know that our ministry is desperately needed, we are sometimes rejected. Jesus told us to work hard. He told us there would be difficulties because we are as lambs going out among wolves. He cautioned us toContinue Reading
Our Anchor and Our Guide
The Church is often referred to as the Bark of Saint Peter. A bark is a type of boat. From its’ earliest days the Church was seen as a boat sailing on unpredictable and sometimes dangerous seas. It is unsurprising that this analogy was extended to the ship’s wheel thatContinue Reading
A Bleak Future for Christian Art?
Crucified Christ – Viktor Vasnetsov 1885 Religion News Service recently published an article on the decline of prices achieved at auction for images of the crucifixion. It cites many reasons but what I found most interesting were the comments that reflected on the Christian art market in general. “The de-emphasis onContinue Reading
Taking Up Our Cross
As Disciples of Christ we are called to decide every day to pick up our cross and follow Him. This goes much further than bearing our own little problems from day to day. It means that we are actually called to set aside those problems, and not let them distractContinue Reading
How to Live for Christ
What does it mean to live for Christ? What does it mean when Paul tells us it is no longer he who lives but Christ who lives in him? In Paul’s time it was believed that the only way to have a right relationship with God was to follow theContinue Reading