Skeptical Faith

Google Image I recently listened to Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” on the Audible APP. As the book’s title indicates, Noah - a comedian who hosts The Daily Show on the Comedy Central TV network - tells a humor-laced but sometimes sad story about growing up in South Africa, which was struggling to shake off the legacy of apartheid. Throughout the book, Noah exhibits a strong attachment to his mother, a deeply religious woman. In the last chapter, he describes how his mother was shot in the head by her husband, Noah’s stepfather. The bullet entered from behind her skull and exited her face. But his mother lived. In fact, she was out of the hospital in four days and back to work in seven. Still, as the young Trevor sat in the hospital room after she gained consciousness, he felt anger at God for allowing the shooting to happen. He sat by her bed, holding her hand, crying. “I was angry at God because all my Mom does is pray…and this...

Google Image I missed most of the Easter Sunday NBC production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” but I’ve been watching segments on YouTube and have been so moved by Sara Bareilles’ rendition of “I don’t know how to love him.” You can watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3WRA0wSWDg&list=RDU3WRA0wSWDg . The production’s ratings were “a little shy of miraculous” for such a program in early April, says the periodical AdAge, and Bareilles undoubtedly deserves much of the credit. She plays Mary Magdalene, portrayed in the production as a reformed prostitute. Actually, there’s no evidence in the Bible that that was the case. It is thought to be a confusion that arose in the medieval church. Strong, Independent Woman Instead, scripture scholars view Magdalene as “a strong, independent woman who supported Jesus financially and spiritually.” The “prostitute” view, of course, makes a better story, but the misunderstanding does nothing to take away from the performance. And Jesu...

Google Image I’m coming up on my 250 th blog since I began publishing them five years ago. I’m sure many people who see them on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, or receive a notice of them each week by e-mail, wonder why I do it. After all, religion is about as popular as taxes, something that’s on the mind of many of us this time of year. Many people consider religion a personal matter, not to be discussed in polite society. This has, to some extent, been the case as long as I can remember, but nothing like today. In today’s society, discussing religion is as close as you can get to taboo. So why do I write them? Well, there are personal reasons, a hint of which can be found in the bio on my blogger home page. Having been a priest and a journalist, I have training and experience that lend themselves to writing such a blog. I suppose I’ve thought, “If I don’t write about the faith I’ve struggled to nourish all my life, who will?” Always questioned his faith “Ah,” som...

Google Image In his weekly column, America Magazine editor Matt Malone writes about visiting, as a young Jesuit novice, a woman named Bernice in a hospital in Boston. Nearly 100, Bernice had been in the geriatric ward for years because she had nowhere else to go. She no longer spoke aloud and was mostly blind, but was always smiling. In Bernice’s early days on the ward, nurses told Malone, “she was known for her folksy wisdom and quiet piety, which she generously shared with her fellow patients.” Malone asked a nurse who was particularly close to Bernice why Bernice always seemed happy. “Bernice knows Jesus,” the nurse replied, then with more emphasis, “Bernice. Knows. Jesus.” A Much Deeper Kind of Knowing When I read this, I thought, “Wow, she knows Jesus like you would know the person next door or the woman who works in the next cubicle.” But, of course, the nurse was talking about a much deeper kind of knowing, maybe like you know your children or your spouse, but e...