Religion

“Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only for one’s own crime shall a person be put to death.”  — Deuteronomy 24:16  This injunction in the Book of Deuteronomy is a reversal...

The past two months have been a painful period in Jewish history. On Oct. 7, as Jews around the world were celebrating the holiday of Simchat Torah—rejoicing with the Torah—the season of darkness arrived early with Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. Now we are...

Methodists have long been known as “a singing people.” I am not a good singer, but I can say that I am a passionate and, hopefully in God’s ears, a beautiful singer. Singing is one of the important parts of my life and in...

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed. The Holiday Season is in full swing. The ramp-up started the day after Halloween, thanks to retailers who let us know Christmas is coming and it’s time to get ready! For many Christians though, there’s another season that...

These are difficult times. The world has seen worse, but there is no denying the fear, the sadness and the general feeling of desperation that has become so prevalent these days.  In a recent article in The Atlantic, David Brooks writes that the “percentage of...

Longtime St. Catherine Parish member Anna Quinones and Maria Dominguez, the church’s office manager, led the preparation, organization and distribution of Thanksgiving meal baskets for families in need on Nov. 18. Photo: Michael Moore While Thanksgiving is often celebrated as an opportunity to enjoy abundance...

I am fascinated by etymologies, the origins of words. As we approach Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about the origin of our English word “thank.” It comes from the P.I.E. (Primitive Indo-European) root tong, to think. Thank is related phonetically to think, as sang is to...

Do Islam and Judaism have anything in common? Are they two religions that are radically different and at constant odds? There is a common perception that Muslims and Jews have been at odds for hundreds of years.  These two faiths share more in common than...

Whenever I feel like life is difficult or my circumstances are less than desirable, I think of the story of the ancient Israelites, led by Moses out of Egypt into the wilderness as found in the Holy Bible.  They wandered from land to land for...

On Oct. 27, 2018, as Jews gathered in Sabbath worship at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we were horrified with the news that a gunman entered the synagogue and killed 11 Jews in worship. This year, almost exactly five years later, as...