AS DIFFICULT AS it is to learn to trust a mentor, it is even more arduous to break down our self suspicion. Do we have what it takes to break free of the entanglements of the Dark Wood - to melt with feeling-intellect the icy encrustations of Hell that keep us paralyzed in our self defeating patterns? We stare eyeball to eyeball at the antagonist within, sizing up our character and our chances of restoration.
VIRTUE IS FOUND at the margins of society more often than at its centre. If this is so, Mary Shelley's Monster is a real find! Her creature is an isolate of great sensitivity, kindness, and insight. Contrary to James Whale's 1931 film of the Creature as a lumbering dolt, Mary Shelley's Monster was modeled on Rousseau's notion of humanity as the "noble savage." The nobility of the Creature is evident as he unveils his chronicle to Victor Frankenstein upon the icy crags of Mount Blanc. Meet Frankenstein's Creature
Lovers of books often complain that we read too slowly and wonder if we will ever take the time and effort to master the The Art of Speed Reading. My difficulty is that sometimes, strike that - often, that I need to acquire the Art of Reading Slowly to integrate what I read. I don't do that nearly enough. My habitual approach is to read a book with my mind and my hand outstretched to the read. I read distractedly often merely to get the basic gist, get through to book, and then add another book to my growing list
The primary difference between Paul's shipwreck and the disciple's encounter with the squall is the calming presence of Jesus. Unlike Paul, Jesus has no hesitation in taking the journey. He is at peace and confident to such an extent that he falls asleep in the boat. Usually falling asleep symbolically means falling into unconsciousness; however, in this instance Jesus' sleep represents utter trust and reliance on God.
OUR CUB TROOP gathered to "obey the law of the wolf cub pack to dibb dibb dibb and dobb dobb dobb!" Part of the ritual of dibbing and dobbing was to stand at stiff attention in front of the Union Jack (pre-1965 Canadian flag), making sure to continue breathing as we sang God Save the Queen and solemnly prayed Matthew's version of the Lord's Prayer. In our ironed striped scarves and woolen jerseys, we bowed our heads and ritually intoned, "Our Father..." I could no more have explained what this prayer meant than I could tell you
This morning I began reading Berhard Lohse's Martin Luther's Theology: Its Historical and Systematic Development. Lohse introduced me to an early version of Luther as a theology student studying a standard medieval curriculum. Peter Lombard's Sentences emphasized Augustine, whom Luther regarded highly, but did so in a very scholastic philosophical manner, with which Luther felt at odds. Luther's assignment as a young student was to write marginal notes on this benchmark text. On the margins of Lombard's book Luther railed against scholasticism, especially that which was influenced by Aristotle. He complained that philosophic theology was not true theology but mere