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Fear: Humanity’s Dark Cloud

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Rembrandt, Google Image My dear sister-in-law, Clara, tells the story of a teacher colleague who many years ago boarded a crowded bus to go home from school, carrying her salary in cash in the billfold in her purse. This was in Colombia in an era when thefts and robberies on buses were more common. The woman became suspicious of a man standing next to her on the bus. A seat opened up and to escape the man, the woman immediately took it. Also immediately, the seat next to her became free and the man sat next to her. Panicky, she looked in her purse and saw no billfold. So, she pulled out a fingernail clipper, opening its little blade and stuck it into the man’s ribs. “The billfold,” she said, and the man handed it over. Then the woman got off the bus, looked into her purse and discovered two billfolds, hers and the one she had just inadvertently stolen. Drives Us to be Careless Fear drives us to be careless and much worse and occurs in so many areas of our lives. We fear illness, ...
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¿Puede un creyente ser realmente libre?

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Mucha gente siente que, contrariamente a lo que dicen los religiosos, la fe no trae libertad, sino más restricciones, más reglas y regulaciones, menos oportunidades de hacer lo que quieres. ¿Cómo puede eso ser libertad? Henri Nouwen, un sacerdote, escritor y teólogo holandés, que escribió 39 libros y cientos de artículos sobre psicología, ministerio pastoral, espiritualidad, justicia social y comunidad, enseñó en Notre Dame y en las escuelas de teología de las universidades de Yale y Harvard. La fe, escribió y enseñó, trae libertad del miedo, de la ansiedad, de tener que probar tu valía; y la alegría de comprender que eres amado por el Padre. ¿De verdad? ¿Alegría? Si ese fuera el caso, ¿por qué tantos creyentes carecen de alegría? Lo que dicen los datos Primero, los datos no respaldan esa opinión. “Existe un cuerpo sustancial de investigación,” dice el sitio de inteligencia artificial ChatGPT, “que sugiere que, en promedio, los creyentes religiosos reportan niveles más altos de felicid...
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Can a Believer Really Be Free?

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Google Images Many people feel that contrary to what religious people say, faith does not bring freedom but more restriction, more rules and regulations, less opportunity to do what you want. How can that be freedom? Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest, writer and theologian, who wrote 39 books and hundreds of articles about psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and community, taught at Notre Dame, and divinity schools at Yale and Harvard universities. Faith, he wrote and taught, brings freedom from fear, anxiety, having to prove yourself; and the joy of understanding that you are beloved by the Father. Really? Joy? If that’s the case, why are so many believers devoid of joy? What the Data Say First, the data doesn’t support that view. “There is a substantial body of research,” says the artificial intelligence site, ChatGPT, “suggesting that, on average, religious believers report higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction, and hope than nonbelievers.” Secon...
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El camino al éxito

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Google Image La sociedad contemporánea, me parece, está obsesionada con la idea del éxito. Las empresas financieras dicen que sus productos te ayudarán a lograr una “jubilación exitosa.” Las universidades y escuelas de negocios ofrecen cursos para lograr “graduados exitosos.” Las campañas políticas prometen producir “líderes exitosos.” Y los relojes, vehículos y casas de lujo son señales de este éxito. Las personas que no son especialmente exitosas en estos términos son “fracasadas” o, peor aún, “perdedores.” Y la sociedad siempre nos está poniendo delante nuevos objetivos de éxito, como la reciente noticia del primer “trillonario” de la humanidad. ¿Quién hace tal pregunta? Pero, ¿qué significa realmente ser “exitoso”? (Nosotros, los “perdedores”, somos los únicos que haríamos una pregunta así.) Yo diría que más importante que tener éxito financiero, en los negocios o con una habilidad o talento, es si tenemos éxito como seres humanos, siempre que estemos de acuerdo en qué si...
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The Road to Success

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Google Image Contemporary society, seems to me, is obsessed with the idea of success. Financial firms say their products will help you achieve a “successful retirement.” Universities and business schools offer courses to achieve “successful graduates.” Political campaigns promise to produce "successful leaders."   And luxury watches, vehicles and homes are signs of this success.   People who aren’t particularly successful in these terms are “underachievers” or worse, “losers.” And society is always placing in front of us new goals for success, like the recent news of humanity’s first “trillionaire.”   Who Asks Such a Question? But what does it really mean to be “successful?” (We “losers” are the only ones who would ask such a question.) I would say that more important than being successful financially or in business or with a skill or talent, is whether we’re successful as human beings – assuming agreement on what it means to be human.      ...
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Sufrir como un desafío a la fe

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Imagen de Google La vida, como todos sabemos, es "injusta." Es una observación expresada por personas que están sufriendo, o cuyos seres queridos están sufriendo, mediante la pregunta retórica: "¿Por qué a mí?" Creo que la cuestión del sufrimiento es uno de los mayores obstáculos para la fe. Y no solo la expresan personas que no han abrazado la fe, sino también personas que son creyentes. Simplemente no podemos entender por qué la idea de justicia de Dios no coincide con la nuestra. La pregunta también se formula a menudo como: "¿Por qué permite Dios que las personas, incluso las buenas, sufran?" Al principio, responderé, como a menudo respondo a este tipo de preguntas en estos blogs, diciendo: "No lo sé." Pero no estoy solo en mi incapacidad de ofrecer una buena explicación a una pregunta que es tan antigua como Job. Se dice que el libro de Job es el libro más antiguo de la Biblia, y trata la cuestión de una manera un tanto indirecta y no ...
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Suffering as a Challenge to Faith

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Google image Life, as we all know, is "unfair." It’s an observation expressed by people who are suffering, or whose loved ones are suffering, by the rhetorical question, “Why me?” I believe the question of suffering is one of the greatest stumbling blocks to faith. And it’s not only expressed by people who haven’t embraced faith, but also by people who are believers. We simply can’t understand why God’s view of fairness doesn’t coincide with ours. The question is also often framed as, “Why does God allow people, including good people, to suffer?" At the outset, I will answer, as I often answer such questions in these blogs, by saying, “I don’t know.” But I’m not alone in my inability to offer a good explanation to a question that is as old as Job. The book of Job is said to be the oldest book in the Bible, and it deals with the question in a sort of indirect, and not very satisfying, way. Blameless Reputation Job is a righteous, wealthy, and faithful man who has ...
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