“We forbid you from having anything to do with him anymore! This relationship is toxic, and we are afraid of what he might do to you!”
Two summers ago, when I was doing a Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP) in my hometown of Philadelphia, I was asked to reflect a lot upon what I was seeing. Doing so depressed me. Working at home brought unique challenges. The nexus of my service activity was not all that far from my home, but it was a world away. There was suffering and poverty and poor conditions the likes of which I have nev...
Lent is the journey into deeper conformity with Christ who emptied himself unto death and who, risen, is the gift of everlasting life. In Luke 4 Jesus’ self-emptying is presented in his period of temptation in the desert. When encountering this text it is not uncommon for one to focus one’s gaze on the three temptations to which Jesus responds—and for good reason—but the swiftness with which we tu...
