Okay, I know this title is an incredibly obvious pun (and far below my usual, high standards), but I thought I would make it now before anyone else did. 🙂
As most of my friends know, I’ve been wanting to study New Testament Greek for some time. However, this has been easier said than done. For a start, my geographical wanderings in recent years have made committing to a course of study difficult. Also, finding somewhere that teaches New Testament Greek is not such a simple task as one might imagine and finding one which is cost-effective only adds to the fun…
When I began my “Introduction to the New Testament” course about a month ago at the Pastoral Center I asked the instructor for suggestions as to how I could bring this desire to learn Biblical Greek to fruition. He suggested that I:
1. Contact Bethel Seminary
2. Learn using a self-study course
As those of you who live in San Diego will doubtless know by now, a few days ago, Bishop Flores passed away. A few months ago he suffered a stroke and we heard recently that his condition had seriously deteriorated.
I was a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council around the time Bishop Flores took over the care of San Diego Diocese from Bishop Brom. Through these Council meetings, as well as through various diocesan events, I got to know this shepherd of Christ reasonably well. He was kind and had a great sense of joy, as well as certainly having some fire in his bones! He was extremely supportive of the Young Adult Catholic Community here in San Diego.
At 7:30pm the Young Adult Community in San Diego will be praying a rosary for Bishop Flores. Please join us in prayer, even if you can’t make it to the church.
My favourite memory of the Bishop was at the Rite of Election this year. My roommate Nathan was entering the Church and I was (for my sins) his sponsor. As we stood with the other candidates and catechumens having a group photograph, Nathan whispered to me “I want to high five the bishop”. As Nathan is always a bad influence on me, I whispered back “Do it!”. Nathan quickly made his way down to the bishop. Oh, it was the highest of fives… 🙂
Now that Bishop Flores has gone to be with the Lord, I can’t help but think of the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the young Bishop Polycarp at the beginning of the Second Century:
The times call for you, as pilots do for the winds, and as one tossed with tempest seeks for the haven, so that both you and those under your care may attain to God. Be sober as God’s athlete: the prize set before you is immortality and eternal life – St. Ignatius of Antioch to St. Polycarp
You have run your race, Bishop Flores. May you rest in peace.
Our three-part “Theology On Tap” series came to a conclusion tonight. The Associate Young Adult Director, Pamela Poe, had tasked me to give a talk which answered the question “What does it mean to be a restless pilgrim?”. In this presentation, I recount the story of my own faith journey, I describe the story of Salvation History as a pilgrimage, and I explain why we’re all restless pilgrims…
“What does it mean to be a restless pilgrim?” (Download)
It has been my desire for a while to introduce the listeners to other members of the Inklings, as well as authors who greatly influenced Lewis. Today we look at G.K. Chesterton and our special guest who will be introducing us to this great man is renowned Chesterton scholar and champion, Dale Ahlquist.
S2E28: “After Hours” with Dale Ahlquist (Download)
In case your podcast application has the ability to jump to certain time codes, here are the timestamps for the different parts of the episode.
00:30 – Why we’re talking about G.K. Chesterton 02:02 – Introduction of Dale Ahlquist 03:13 – The drink-of-the-week (and GKC’s favourites) 04:13 – The quote-of-the-week 04:45 – How did you first encounter G.K. Chesterton? 09:00 – What are some of your favourite Chesterton aphorisms? 09:44 – Who was Chesterton? 12:49 – What was his faith background? 16:27 – What was his dynamic with his wife, Frances? 21:24 – What kinds of things did he write and what were some of his most famous works? 24:24 – What was The Everlasting Man about and why did it have such an effect on Lewis? 26:41 – Why is Chesterton not better known? 29:05 – How should people go about starting to read Chesterton? 30:39 – What tips do you have for someone reading Orthodoxy for the first time? 32:10 – Which biography will give you the best sense for the man himself? 33:28 – What do you think of the decision not to open Chesterton’s cause for Sainthood? 37:37 – Is it true that Chesterton inspired Michael Collins and Mohandas Gandhi? 40:17 – How can listeners find out more about The Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton? 42:28 – Book giveaway information
Okay, I know this title is an incredibly obvious pun (and far below my usual, high standards), but I thought I would make it now before anyone else did. 🙂
