The fifth Beatitude tells us that those who are merciful will receive mercy. At first reading this sounds right to us. If you do good to others they will do good to you. It seem natural, like the popular concept of karma. Yet we see that this does not always hold true. How then should we understand this Beatitude?
Humility wins the day – The humble will be exalted
Luke 18 records the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Only one of them left the Temple forgiven, the one who expressed humility
I don’t have the chutzpah to pick up the first stone
I have heard it said that chutzpah is illustrated by the man who kills his mother and father and then pleads to the judge to let him off because he is an orphan. In other words, chutzpa is that behavior that knows no self limitation. This evening a friend sent me a link to a […]
An Unholy Alliance: Pharisees and Herodians
An Unholy Alliance We are moving toward a presidential election year in the United States. As a result, the political pundits are ramping up their efforts to develop a market for their predictions. With this backdrop, when I read Mark this morning, Mark 3:6 grabbed my attention. In this verse there is a simple statement […]
Great Packaging + Great Product = Integrity
As consumers we know that beautiful packaging does not guarantee the quality of the product inside. The photo on the box often looks much better than the content. On the other hand, with the rise of store brands, we know that good stuff can be found in very plain packages. Visually stunning packaging is done […]
