This Season we’ve been reading Till We Have Faces, which is a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche Myth. However, what was the original myth like? In this episode, I read a version of the original story…
Up until now in the Best of British series, I have spoken exclusively about British comedy shows I associate with my childhood. I’d now like to introduce some of the shows which came along a little later.
Although I contend that British TV has fallen somewhat from the comedic heights of my childhood, there have most definitely been some real gems produced in recent years. Here are some of them…
The Vicar of Dibley
“The Vicar of Dibley” came onto our TV screens at a particularly turbulent time for the Church of England. Two years prior to the first season, the Church of England had begun ordaining women and this was causing significant issues within the Anglican communion. In true British style, Richard Curtis sought out the comedy in this tense situation and crafted a sit-com about the life of one of these early female vicars in the sleepy village of Dibley. The lead character, Geraldine, was played by the well-known comediane, Dawn French. Although I would suggest that the final seasons were rather sub-par, on the whole, this was a lovely, gentle-natured comedy which took a light-hearted look at parish life from both sides of the pulpit.
My Family
I never felt that “My Family” really received the recognition that it deserved. As the title suggests, it’s about a family, the Harper Family. The Dad, Ben, is wonderfully grumpy and feels constantly harangued by his wife and harassed by his children, especially his idiotic son, Nick:
The show lost a lot when Nick’s character left, but I still think those earlier seasons were superb.
Outnumbered
There is a saying in Show Business that one should never work with children or animals. The show “Outnumbered” breaks both of these rules since it stars three children who, at times, act like real animals. There is no great story line to the show, it’s simply about the lives of two parents and their three “spirited” children. The kids in this show are a-maz-ing, especially Ramona Marquez who plays little Karen.
Rather than “scripting” the children, the writers of the show give the children broad instructions and then simply turn on the cameras. The result is truly wonderful and if you pay close attention to the grown-ups in the show you can quite often see that they’re having to work very hard to suppress their laughter.
In the clip below the kids are at a wedding, under the patient care of the local vicar…
As I mentioned before, I’m currently updating the New Testament questions and answers which I run through at the beginning of every Bible study. Today I’d like to cover the questions surrounding Colossians:
58. What was Paul’s situation when writing Colossians?
The evidence seems to point to the same situation as the other captivity epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians). He is in Rome under house arrest in approximately AD 62.
59. Had Paul ever been to Colossae?
No, but he had stayed in nearby Ephesus for three years.
60. Who founded the Church at Colossae?
A Colossian native called “Epaphras” appears to have been converted through Paul’s ministry and first taken the gospel to Colossae.
61. So why did Paul write to the Colossians?
It seems Epaphras visited Paul in Rome and asked him to write to this nascent congregation to speak to the various heresies attacking the Church in Colossae.
62. What were the heresies with which the Colossians struggled?
They appear to be several, but they included issues surrounding circumcision, asceticism, the person of Christ, secret knowledge and human wisdom.
63. Who are the opponents in Colossae?
This very much depends on how one interprets the heresies described, but scholars suggest either Jews, Pagans or early Gnostics.
64. What is noticeable about the way in which Paul speaks about Jesus in this letter?
We call it “High Christology”, since Jesus is described as “the image of the invisible God”, “the firstborn of all Creation”, “in him the fullness of deity dwells bodily” etc.
65. What does Paul say about suffering in this letter?
He describes himself as “complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”.
66. During the letter Paul speaks about a hidden “mystery”. What is it?
That Jesus came for us…all of us, both Jew and Gentile
67. What Sacrament does Paul speak about in this letter and in what terms does he describe it?
He speaks about baptism, describing it both in terms of circumcision and death.
Since JP2 is now meeting again, I will be resuming my “Sunday Lectionary” posts for the coming week’s Sunday Mass Readings. I did begin one last week but I didn’t finish it in time :-(. So, from now on I’m limiting my writing time to two hours – I do tend to get a bit carried away… 😉
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time: 22nd January 2012
Last week’s Readings focused on God’s call to us. In turn, this week’s Readings focus upon our response to Him.
In the First Reading we hear of how Jonah (eventually) responded to God’s call and then how the people of Nineveh responded to God through the message of His Prophet.
In the Gospel we hear Jesus’ message: repent and believe for the Kingdom is at hand. He calls four fishermen to come and follow him, simple men who, later when He is gone, will become great pillars in His Church.
Having before you many examples of sinners who repented and were saved, be you also earnest in confessing to the Lord, that you may receive pardon for past sins, be made worthy of the heavenly gift, and inherit the kingdom of heaven with all the saints -St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. AD 386)
I once read a quotation about statistics which said that“a politician uses statistics in the same way a drunk uses a street lamp, for support rather than for illumination”… I thought that this was an appropriate quotation to begin the subject of today’s post. You see, it’s quite impossible to speak out against Planned Parenthood for long before hearing the following response:
“But abortion is only 3% of what Planned Parenthood does!”
This objection has been raised by many of my friends and you hear this statistic rattled off by politicians and Planned Parenthood advocates. 3% seems so small and insignificant! The argument is that if you defund Planned Parenthood then women would lose access to all the other services they provide as well. This assumes that abortion and healthcare can only come together as a package, treating pregnancy as though it’s just another disease.
How is it that Planned Parenthood is known for being the nation’s premiere abortion provider if it’s only 3% of what it does? Isn’t that incredible?! In fact, if it’s such a small percentage of their work, you can’t help but wonder why Planned Parenthood doesn’t just get out of the abortion industry altogether and save themselves the constant annoyance of having all those pesky pro-lifers outside of their clinics all the time!
There is a problem with the 3% statistic. While there is a certain veracity to the statistic, it’s incredibly misleading, so much so as to be positively meaningless!
I’m going to start trying to make these Sunday Lectionary posts a little bit shorter, both so that I get more of my weekend back and also so more people read them!
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time: October 23rd, 2011
The Readings this week focus around the “vertical” and “horizontal” dimensions of our faith, how we love God and how we love our neighbour. This finds its simplest and clearest expression in today’s Gospel passage when Jesus is asked which is the greatest of all the commandments…
“Therefore the first commandment teaches every kind of godliness. For to love God with the whole heart is the cause of every good.
The second commandment includes the righteous acts we do toward other people. The first commandment prepares the way for the second and in turn is established by the second. For the person who is grounded in the love of God clearly also loves his neighbor in all things himself.
The kind of person who fulfills these two commandments experiences all the commandments.”
– St. Cyril of Alexandria, Early Church Father, 5th Century
Rather than having to wait a week, we decided to release Episode 2 of “The Eagle and Child” podcast where we conclude our journey through the Preface of “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. I think Matt and I are starting to find our stride with this now 🙂
If you enjoy this episode, you can subscribe using iTunes or Google Play. As always, if you have any objections, comments or questions, please send us an email through my website or tweet us @pintswithjack.
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Last week’s Readings focused on God’s call to us. In turn, this week’s Readings focus upon our response to Him.
I once read a quotation about statistics which said that
