"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
Yesterday morning I came across the following video:
That’s right…an iPad lectern! And, I checked, this thing is a real product available for purchase!
At lunch, as I walked to a nearby sandwich store, I got to thinking about whether or not I thought an iPad-based parish would be a good move or not. There would be some clear advantages to having an electronic Missal and an electronic Lectionary:
I mentioned a couple of times last year that I was leading a Bible study working through the Acts of the Apostles. During that time, Paul Pavao over at The Rest of the Old, Old Story was writing a series of posts working through books of the Bible (he was also recently recently kind enough to advertise this blog).
When my Acts of the Apostles Bible study was just beginning, Paul wrote a post about the Council of Jerusalem which is found in Chapter 15 of Acts. The Council of Jerusalem was the first recorded council of Church. The apostles and elders of Jerusalem were called together to respond to an issue concerning the Gentile converts to Christianity. Did a Gentile convert need to be circumcised? Did he have to become a Jew before he could become a Christian?
At the Council there was extended discussion around the issue before Peter stood up and affirmed that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. St. James then said:
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood. – Acts 15:19-20
In his blog post, Paul wrote:
“The council decides that they will ask just four things from the Gentiles, and they make it clear that circumcision is not necessary for the Gentiles. There may be people who understand why those specific four things were chosen, but I’m not one of them.”
In the comment section of the article I offered my two cents, saying:
“I’ve always seen the requirements from the Council of Jerusalem as measures to ease tensions between Jews and Gentiles in the Church.
“If I was a lifelong Jew who subsequently recognized Jesus as the Messiah I may find it hard to get used to the relaxed restrictions of the New Covenant. I may be a little sensitive about it, so if my gentile brothers and sisters could refrain from consuming strangled meat, food sacrificed to idols and blood, it would be far more likely that family harmony would be maintained.
“Just a thought”
As my own Bible study progressed towards Acts 15, I had the opportunity to do a little bit of research looking at this question and to dig into it a little more…
Earlier this week, I posted the text of my acceptance speech for the Fiat Award which I received at the San Diego Young Adult Christmas Gala. One of my friends at the Christmas Gala recorded it all, as well as the introduction given by my friend Richael from Clumsy Theosis:
I have no idea whether or not Tolkien intended it to be this way (although I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he did), but have you ever noticed that all the mealtimes mentioned by the Hobbits in “Lord of the Rings” correspond with points in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours?
Hobbit Meal #1: Breakfast (7am)
The office of “Vigils” is prayed just before sunrise.
Hobbit Meal #2: Second Breakfast (9am)
“Lauds” takes place sometime between sunrise and 8:30am.
Hobbit Meal #3: Elevenses (11am)
“Tierce” is prayed between 8:45am and 10am.
Hobbit Meal #4: Luncheon (1pm)
This corresponds to “Sexte”, which is prayed between 11:30am and 1:30pm.
Hobbit Meal #4: Afternoon Tea (4pm)
The office of “None” is between 2pm and 4pm
Hobbit Meal #5: Dinner (6pm)
Evening pray of “Vespers” is any time between 4:30pm and 8pm.
Hobbit Meal #6: Supper (8pm)
Finally, “Compline” is prayed before bed.
Does anyone know for certain if Tolkien did this on purpose?
I’ve been playing around with the graphics program Canva recently and if you’ve looked at the Restless Pilgrim Facebook page recently, you’ll have seen the fruit of this.
One of the graphics I produced has been particularly popular so I thought I’d share a high resolution version of it here on the blog, together with a printable PDF version. I’ve also made a version for the iPhone “Locked” Screen.
This week I’ve been reading Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by the late Nabeel Qureshi. The book is something of an autobiography, the journey of a fervent Muslim to Christianity.
Nabeel is a great story-teller and this book was definitely a page-turner. I particularly liked his ability to give the reader a substantial introduction to Islam while in the process of recounting his early years.
The apologetic content is thoughtfully handled and what comes across more than anything is the love he had for his former faith and his continued love for his family, despite the strain his conversion inevitably placed upon their relationship.
This morning I finished If I had lunch with C.S. Lewis: Exploring the ideas of C.S. Lewis on the meaning of life by the well-known Lewis biographer, Alister McGrath.
It was an intriguing approach to discussing Lewis’ thought – imagining a series of lunches with the man himself – the dream of any C.S. Lewis fan! The book is not, as one might imagine, a fictional dialogue between the author and Lewis. Instead, in each chapter, the author looks at some topic close to Lewis’ heart and provides a digestible overview of what Lewis had to say about it. Such areas of discussion include the meaning of life, friendship, the importance of stories, apologetics, education, suffering and Heaven.
This was a quick, enjoyable read and provides a nice alternative to the more traditional books about Lewis.