First Sunday of Advent Homily

Quotables

"Glory be to God on High, and on Earth peace and good will to men."- The Gospel of Matthew

"I know His blood can make me whole...I've just touched the hem of His garment."- Blind Willie Johnson

"God I'm worm, through you I become a man, may God guide me."- Ludwig Wittgenstein

"God let everyone who stands before You this day know Your love rooted in Your pain, and Your pain rooted in Your love."- Kazoh Kitamori (paraphrase)

"God I believe, help my unbelief"- The Gospel of Mark

"May God deny you peace, but grant you glory."- Miguel De Unamuno

"God, I've uttered things to wonderful for myself, that I understood not, and wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."- The Book of Job

"Come, Holy Spirit, come."- early Christian prayer

Off-Topic: Comic Book Reviews For 11-26-2014

DC's RED LANTERN 36

DC's BATMAN 66 THE LOST EPISODE One-shot
This is a comic book production of an episode of the original BATMAN 1966 series that was never aired. I sure wish it had been. The comic book is an amazing, original take on the all-important Batman villain, Twoface. The main story line is the same, but the way Harvey's psychosis manifests is rather original, and fits well with the BATMAN 66 aesthetic. While there weren't many out and out laughs in this issue, it actually went in some original directions without losing that blessed campiness that makes the book work. The art was incredible, especially the cover art, and the colors were out of this world. I love these BATMAN 66 books, and this one is a supreme example of why that is.
Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 4.5 Stars
Pacing: 4 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

DC's BATMAN BEYOND UNIVERSE #16
This is the final issue of this book, and I'm sad to see it go. While this ending felt a bit anti-climactic and some of the devices used to make it more climactic fell flat, the character development was simply out of sight. The ending was touching, and full of wisdom, as Terry learns more about his place in this world. The storyline was a little flat, but the dialogue more than made up for it. I want more Batman Beyond!
Storyline: 3 Stars
Dialogue: 5 Stars
Pacing: 3.5 Stars
Art: 3.5 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars

Marvel's NEW WARRIORS #12
Another good book comes to an end. The sad thing is, this final issue feels like a real beginning, and I loved how the team ended up taking shape. They needed to get to this point faster, though, and some issues just didn't move enough, I guess. I wish we could've seen more, but I like what we got. Hopefully we'll see more of the WARRIORS in other books in the near future.
Storyline: 3.5 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 4 Stars
Art: 3.5 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars

A Couple Of Images For Thanksgiving

A Prayer Of Thanksgiving

God thank you for this moment,
Thank you for Your Love and all that it produces:
The wonders of existence, the beauty of nature,
Thank you for life and for love,
For every breath that I take and every beat of my heart,
For the opportunity to serve You this day,
For knowledge and wisdom, for faith and for feeling, for imagination,
For the overcoming of evil with Good, for the overcoming of lies with the Truth, for the overcoming of darkness with Light,
For my material comfort, which I know is fleeting and I know I don't deserve,
For my wife and the communities of which I am a part: for my friends and my family,
For Your Presence, especially in the form of Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and in the form of The Holy Spirit....
And for all that I have, and all that I am, thank you.
Amen.

One-Post Wednesday: Bible Studies I've Written

I had a crazy, messed up morning, so I'm going to just post a list of Bible studies I've written. If you are interested in any of them being posted here, just comment below.

TV
LOST (Season 1)

DOCTOR WHO

ELI STONE

KING OF THE HILL

MASH

THE OFFICE

MY NAME IS EARL

MODERN FAMILY

ONCE UPON A TIME

TOUCH

QUANTUM LEAP

TWILIGHT ZONE

UNBREAKABLE

THE PRINCESS BRIDE

THE BOOK OF ELI

MAN OF STEEL

HUNGER GAMES





Movies

GROUNDHOG DAY

RATATOUILLE

PHENOMENON

GHOSTBUSTERS

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED

STAR WARS TRILOGY

Documentary- THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN HOUSTON

CROSSROADS (Ralph Maccio)

INDIANA JONES TRILOGY

FREEDOM WRITERS

BRAVEHEART

THE SEVEN FACES OF DOCTOR LAO

ROCKY

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

TRON

A RAZOR'S EDGE

DONNIE DARKO

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

RANGO

COWBOYS AND ALIENS

WAKING LIFE

WIZARD OF OZ

DUNE

DOGMA

RAMEN GIRL

I AM LEGEND

LIFE OF PI


Religious TV/Movies
TNT Bible Movies- "Abraham", "Jacob", "Joseph", "Moses", "Samson", "David"

"Peter & Paul"

Documentary- "In God's Name"

Documentary- "The conscientious Objector"

"Conversations With God"

Documentary- "Walking The Bible"

"Flywheel"

"Luther"

"Fireproof"

"Tree of Life"

"Purgatory"

Bible Only

"The Book of Tobit

"Chaos and The Serpent"

"War In Heaven"

"A Brief HIstory of Sacrifice"

"A Year Dedicated To The Spirit" Includes- A Survey of the Holy Spirit in the Bible, 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT, The Book of Wisdom, A survey of The Holy Spirit In the Gospels, AVATAR Study

"The Book of Revelation"

"The Sources of the Bible"

"Images of Creation"

"The Names of God"

"Christ & The Exodus"

A Study on Angeology

Isaiahs Study

Psalms Study

"Atonement"

"Scapegoating"

Littlest Books- Ruth, Joel, Obadiah And Habbakuk, Nahum and Jonah, Zephaniah and Haggai, Malachi, Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, Titus, Jude

Other
Christian Quotations & Speeches

Greek Mythology & Christianity

The Graphic Novel AMERICAN SPLENDOR

A Class on Testimony & What It Means To Spread "The Gospel"

I taught this small class on 11/23/2014.

Battlestar Galactica Bible Study Week 7

This is an example of what the finished version looks like:

Not Really Off-Topic: A Review of the film INTERSTELLAR

So on Friday I went and saw the film INTERSTELLAR. It is Christopher Nolan's attempt to make a hyper-realistic science fiction film that yet still rises to the level of true myth-making. Nolan is one of my favorite directors, and I've been impressed by pretty much everything he's done. I know some who are big detractors of DARK KNIGHT RISES but I think despite its flaws it is a film that works and says something substantive. I was very excited about seeing this movie, and it did not disappoint.

First of all, the aesthetics. The film was mind-blowing. The visual effects were like nothing I've ever seen, and matched all my expectations. Nolan accomplishes a realistic edge by making the film primarily about human relationships, but this can make for some slow moving parts and detract from the film being a true cinematic experience. He avoids this problem by representing in the starkest way possible the grandeur of the universe.

The film is about a dystopian future where the world is assaulted by this terrible disease which is exterminating all plant life and leaving the world with no oxygen or food. A small group of explorers exploits a newly discovered wormhole to look for new habitable worlds beyond our solar system. The visuals exploit the complexity of space travel, the beauty of the cosmos, and the possibilities of strange, alien worlds to make the film captivating even as the storyline itself drags sometimes. The end result is a film that is truly about people while still being able to give us a true film in the purest sense of that term.

Thematically, the film is everywhere I want to be. As these people explore their relationships with their families, and with one another, they are placed within this cosmic context of mystery and opportunity. The whole film has this strong feel of an encounter with Something Great, and in the end Nolan explores the possibility that the universe is not, ultimately, indifferent to humanity. While this is couched in as humanistic terms as possible, Nolan does not shy away from the mystical, as one theme in the film is the true nature and power of human love, which may or may not correspond to some cosmic force behind the universe. The film makes a definitive answer to the question 'is the universe a friendly place'. I'll not ruin it by telling you which way it goes.

On some levels, this film reminded me of TREE OF LIFE, though I still think that film is in some ways superior. It attempts to place the drama of everyday human life in a cosmic context, using relationship as a revelatory experience. You get the sense that you are seeing things happen from an almost god's eye view of things, even as the details have a strict sense of realism, at least up to a point.

Mathew McCounaughey is the lead actor in the film, and while I know he won best actor last year, I can't help but think it is time for a rare two-peat. He is fantastic in the film as are the actors who play his character's daughter Murphy (both the child and the adult are unbelievable). It is the relationship between the father and daughter which defines the film and sets the focus for the discussion of the larger questions.

The other actors do a really good job, but many are out-shined when they are in the same seen with McCounaughey (the exceptions being John Lithgow and the actresses who play his daughter over time). Anne Hathaway does a mostly good job, except when she is giving the speech about the nature of love. She says these incredible words that form the basis for the film's ultimately meaning but she delivers them in such a flat, unengaging way. I wonder if she was directed to do this, as in the end her speech at the time falls on deaf ears. Maybe it is a storytelling device, having her speech fall so flat. But in the end it reflected badly upon the actress.

There were also some problems with some characters'  motivations. There is one true antagonist in the film, and some of what he does makes no sense, at all. This character kind of pulled you out of the illusion of hyper-realism and ruins some of the overall effect, I think.

But these are small concerns in an overall excellent film. I loved the message, I loved the way it wrestled with grand questions, and I loved the visual and storytelling effect, overall. It was a true cinematic experience. It must be noted that the whole thing was a giant homage to 2001 and 2010 and was practically a remake of those films together. In my humble opinion, and most people would think I'm speaking blasphemy here, I think it exceeded those films.

One last side note, there is one very exotic scene that involved McCounaughey, the aliens and the robot that seemed very familiar to me. The 'library scene' (only those who have seen the film will know what I'm talking about) was very similar to an experience I had the first time meditated in a Lucid Dream. It caused me to have flashbacks to that experience. It was strange how similar they were.

Well, that's all I got for now.

Off-Topic: Comic Book Reviews 11-19-2014

DC's JUSTICE LEAGUE #36
Lex Luthor's newly released AMAZO Virus is revealed to be a secret WMD project created in conjunction with the government, designed to potentially destroy all meta humans. Now it is reaking havoc with the human population of metropolis, and threatens the lives of several leaguers. This was an overall great book, that further humanized both Lex and Captain Cold, while revealing some new levels of intrigue brought on by Lex's presence on the League's roster. I don't like the fact that Shazam is again sidelined in this issue, and man I wish they'd do more with that guy. Overall, though, this book worked. The Justice League comic book is one of the best things DC has to offer, and has been for a while now.
Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 4 Stars
Art: 4.5 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars

DC's PAX AMERICANA One-Shot (MULTIVERSITY #4)
This issue can be summed up thusly: "Grant Morrison draws THE WATCHMEN". In fact, this book is so dependent on that famous comic book that without it you are almost completely lost. The pacing in this one, like the last issue, was so off it made it hard to get any coherent story out of the book. Yet, there were these moments, these homages to famous WATCHMEN moments that it really elevated the whole book. Visually there was a lot going on, and dialogue wise it worked well. But the storyline wasn't just cryptic, but muddled, and the pacing was just too experimental. I have high hopes for next months Captain Marvel-inspired MULTIVERSITY title, but this was just a bit too much for me.
Storyline: 3 Stars
Dialogue: 4.5 Stars
Pacing: 2 Stars
Art: 3.5 Stars
Overall: 3.5 Stars

Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #21
With Peter Quill's confession story arc over, we return to the search for Venom, as Flash Thompson struggles to regain control of his recently destabilized symbiote. There are hints about the alien's origins, and we may get treated to a greater exploration of the suit's alien origins as we move forward. This issue worked on a number of levels, including expanding Peter's relationship with Kitty Pride of the X-Men. The dialogue was very funny in parts, and the story moved well. The art is even getting better here. Overall, a good book.
Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 3.5 Stars
Art: 3.5 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars

DC's GREEN LANTERN: THE NEW GUARDIANS #36
The GODHEAD Crossover continues as High Father rips the White Lantern's power from him. We get some real development when it comes to Kyle Rayner and Carol Ferris, and High Father is coming to be the Anti-Hero you love to hate. The visuals were absolutey stunning, and I am simply loving is crossover.
Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 4.5 Stars
Pacing: 3.5 Stars
Art: 4.5 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars

DC's TEEN TITANS #4
The newest TEEN TITAN incarnation continues to deliver as Red Robin goes head-to-head with his new cyborg nemesis, while Manchester Black makes overtures to team up with the Titans. The battle was intricate and intriguing, the art was superb, and there were some twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Finally, this book is getting back to where it should be.
Storyline: 4 Stars
Dialogue: 4 Stars
Pacing: 4.5 Stars
Art: 4 Stars
Overall: 4.5 Stars

DC and Dynamite's BATMAN/GREEN HORNET #6
Well, this book by Kevin Smith was a delight to read, and the ending exceeded every other issue. The concluding chapter of this homage and sequel to one of the best episodes of the 1966 BATMAN series had everything this book could possibly offer. There is genuine action and mystery, with just enough humor and campiness to make the whole thing feel fun and genuine. I loved the team-ups: between the heroes, and between the villains. The way Batman and the Hornet solved the case was in perfect line with the way things worked in the old television show, but also covered new ground. The cover art was out of this world, and the internals were awesome, too.
Storyline: 4.5 Stars
Dialogue: 5 Stars
Pacing: 4.5 Stars
Art: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars

Throwback Thursday: Groundhog Day Bible Study

Usually, I only post the WORD version of my Bible studies on this page. Today, I'm giving you a glimpse of what a completed study looks like. Who is a fan of Groundhog Day out there? Who loves the Book of Ecclesiastes (as I do)? Well, this is the study for you:

The Secular & The Eternal

Maverick Philosopher turned me on to a great article on the real meaning of "secular". You can read it here:
http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2014/the-limits-of-a-secular-age.html

I think this is extraordinarily insightful, and brings up some interesting aspects of the secular view of the world. Secularity tries to make us comfortable with the purely temporal. Denying any eternal reality to which we may correspond our lives, it tries to convince us to be happy with what is temporal or passing. But it cannot be incumbent upon us to do what we are incapable of doing. Many of us lowly human beings find a burning and unquenchable NEED for the eternal. Indeed, I have suggested many times that the very concept of 'meaning' is steeped in this need.

When we talk about meaning, mattering, or significance, we simply are expressing our need to know that we make an eternal, rather than merely temporal existence. Some people, it seems, don't have this need. But many of us do. I suspect the prevalence of anxiety and depression stems in part from a misunderstood frustration of this need. People are looking everywhere for some eternal ground of meaning, and are constantly bombarded by the idea that no such ground exists. That unfulfilled need is the cause of much modern depression. I know it is what caused my depression. I am only happy so long as I can believe in the eternal. Faithlessness and depression are two sides of the same coin in my life.

Moreover, every experience we have that gives us some happiness in this life, every experience that indicates to us that life is worth living at all, contains within it some intimation of eternity. Beauty is an invitation to hold onto a moment forever, humor is the insistence that there is some Ultimate Perspective from which all others are judged, play is a bracketing off of time altogether, hope is grounded in the conviction that there will always be a tomorrow, and on and on, all of our most sublime experiences INSIST that an eternal perspective exists. That our sensory data does not confirm this is not reason to just deny it. That is nothing more than epistemic and experiential imperialism, choosing some experiences as truth-guiding and denying others, for no good reason.

In the end, I take the secular pleading in favor of the passing to be little more than self-deception. I cannot be happy with a life that lacks any eternal ground. And what I cannot do I should not be judged for not doing.

8 Year Anniversary

Eight years ago today my wife Angelic Covarrubia made me the happiest man in the world by putting aside all sense and reason and marrying me. Since then, it has also provided proof that I am the luckiest man alive. Life just seems to get better and better with her, and through her my relationship with God is better than ever. There is a scene from A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE that I quote quite often when talking about my feelings for my wife. I've posted it on here before, but it is worth posting again. I cannot sum up what my wife has meant to me better than that scene: "I wasn't really born again until I met you."

Battlestar Galactica Bible Study Week 6

Season 2- Episode: Final Cut

Matthew 2:1-18

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

Reflect on the Bible passages in light of the film.

What do you think of what happened on the ship “Gideon”?

Do you think an incident like this can take place and nobody be criminally responsible? Why or why not?

Reflect on this quote: “what happened on the Gideon was a tragedy, not a massacre.”

Compare and contrast what happened in Bethlehem with the Gideon incident.

What does Lee say about his pilots?

What does the crew learn about the pilots and the pit crews on the flight deck?

Reflect on this quote: “I don’t need to explain myself to anyone, especially her.”

How does Ellen see the whole situation with Adama, Laura and the news crew?

Reflect on this quote: “When are you going to realize…we’re all alone out here.”

Why does Herod kill the children of Bethlehem?

Why do you think people of power become paranoid?

What is the danger in this paranoia?

Where else have we seen this in history?

What is Adama’s reasoning as to why Si was not charged for the Gideon incident?

What do you think of this explanation?

What has happened to Kat?

How do the various commanders and leaders respond to the final report?

Who do you think is right and why?

How does the reporter say her views on Galactica changed?

What does it mean to say that we are both ‘deeply flawed’ and ‘deeply human’?

How do the Cylons respond to the report?

Reflect on this quote: “it truly is a miracle from God.”

Why did the Magi react to Jesus as they did?

Compare and contrast what happened in the episode today with the visit by the Magi.

2 Corinthians 11:1-11, 16-28

 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! ² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. ³ But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

⁵ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” ⁶ I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. ⁷ Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. ⁹ And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
 I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷ In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. ¹⁸ Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. ¹⁹ You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! ²⁰ In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹ To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. ²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

James 1:22-24
 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Reflect on the Bible passages in light of the film.

What do you think of the decision to give the reporter unlimited access to Galactica?

What do Adama and Laura want out of this?

What does the reporter want?

What does she say about the ‘face’ that she may show to the rest of the fleet?

Is it important to see ourselves as we truly are? If so, why?

What does James say about this?

Reflect on the James quote in light of the episode’s commentary on knowing yourself.

How is the Word of God like a ‘mirror’?

What do you see when you look in that mirror?

Reflect on this quote: “you must do it before we tear ourselves apart.”

How did the early church almost ‘tear itself apart’?

Reflect on this quote: “from darkness you must fall.”

Reflect on this quote: “he thought the military was a joke. A place for emotional cripples and patriotic fools.”

Why is Gaius jealous of those being interviewed by the news team?

Why did Jesus’ followers resent Paul so much, do you think?

Why is “Six” willing to let Gaius ‘beg’ to be interviewed?

What does she say about Gaius and politics?

What makes politics someone’s ‘strong suit’?

How did Paul’s ineptitude at politics hurt him in the 2 Corinthians passage?

How does Gaius respond to the reporter’s request for an interview and why does he react this way?

What is Gaius’ defining characteristic?

Why does Paul come off as so full of himself in the 2 Corinthians passage?

Why are the pilots trained to consider themselves ‘dead’ already?

What do you think of this?

How did Paul consider himself ‘dead’ even as he lived? How did this lead to a richer kind of life?

What does Gaeta say about his life on Galactica?

Reflect on this quote: “now tell her why you’re qualified to lead this fleet.”

What qualifications does Paul put forth for him to be an apostle and leader? Reflect on this.