Spirituality

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Looking back at the week, what was the big headline? Was it the war in Ukraine? Increasing violence and mayhem in the cities? A precarious economic situation facing the world? A world teetering ever closer to nuclear war? No, the ultimate headliner this week was (gasp!):

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars!

Well … okie dokie.

Thus was the cause célèbre for the week, resulting in speculations, accusations, threats of action, resignations. And, of course, many reveling in shaming Will Smith for his “horrendous” action. Well, violent acts are rarely called for (and certainly Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Still we view the human tragedy of war continuing in Ukraine. News stories speak of 15,000 Russian soldiers dead, the Ukrainian death toll likely be at least that many but also including civilians. We would have hoped that there could have been a much better path to resolve any issue than killing and destruction.

Who would have thought just a few years ago that such would come about? It reminds us of the brevity and ultimate unpredictability of life and of our inescapable mortality. As Jesus exhorts several times in the Gospels: “Watch; you know neither the day nor the hour…”—that Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

“I know better than you.”

Few phrases so readily get us to raise our defenses than that one, especially when it comes to politics, religion and custom—the reason why it is often considered bad form to bring up those issues at social occasions. Perceived challenges to any of these can raise the hackles quicker than about anything else other than personal insult. We need only witness the incivility of public discourse in our day to see that.

These days we also often hear of those who are discontented with the current American political, economic and even religious systems advocating Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Was discussing a couple of recent local murders with the Walmart cashier. One a recent alleged murder of an aunt by her 15-year-old nephew. Another, a son of a mother. Yikes. One wonders: if not safe with family, wherefore art thou “safety”?

The discussion meandered to speculation about family situations and company kept. One can’t help but think that such coldness toward human life cannot be the fruit of good moral conditions and examples, but rather a hardness toward the good and moral developed over years and maybe decades. If not by family, perhaps by companions or mentors—real Read More

By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Anyone who has been a teacher or supervisor over others know the drill: One person complains about another, his/her story slanted so as to bolster his case against the “accused” … conveniently omitting essential or twisting facts to his own benefit. And then you are forced to the role of referee/judge, trying to sort out facts from conflicting accounts, not infrequently unverifiable or even fabricated, whether maliciously or in the accuser’s imagination. It often concludes (unsatisfactorily) with uncertain believability and empathy/sympathy with one side or the other Read More