spiritual insights on religion, social justice and comparative theology
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend. As I consider the idea of love, I consider those who have loved and lost, and have let this holiday preoccupy themselves with what they are missing. It’s easy to do this. We go back to the beautiful times we spent when we were committed to someone and reflect on those … Continue reading A Valentine: Yearning And Learning From Love by William Klein
Reading Senator Sherrod Brown’s book about progressives inspires greater thoughts about our times. “Desk 88” is a powerful and potent historical document for our times. Implicit in the writing of this book is the idea that we assess the intentions of a lawmaker not by just what he says, but by what he does. Senator … Continue reading Desk 88: A Progressive History Lesson For Our Times by William Klein
We are all experiencing challenges in life. They may stem from the loss of a loved one or the loss of love or even the loss of innocence in a world that inundates us with cold, hard reality. Our struggle may be the result of a dark night of the soul and our quest for … Continue reading Exile by William Klein
The day of the historic impeachment of President Trump, congressman Barry Loudermilk of Georgia equated it with Jesus’ trial with Pontius Pilate. Loudermilk said the following for the Congressional Record: “Before you take this historic vote today, one week before Christmas, I want you to keep this in mind: When Jesus was falsely accused of … Continue reading The Idolatry Of Power by William Klein
“You are what you desire”. This is a great insight. It is a popular thought in Eastern thinking, particularly in Buddhist thought. This desire creates suffering and if it is not satisfied, the desire is even greater, which more often than not leads to greater discontent. I’m reminded of the old adage, “Chase the world … Continue reading A Daily Reminder For The New Year by William Klein
Little is known about the three “Magi” who pay the “Holy Family” a visit in scripture. They are an integral part of the story in Matthew’s account and tell the story of encountering Herod on their journey following a star from the East to find the baby. In Bethlehem there are graves that date back … Continue reading “Wisdom of Magi” by William Klein
Classroom doors decorated with tinsel and Christmas chintz, secret Santas bring gifts of socks and simple delights like booze and cookies to tickle the heart to new heights while Christmas lights adorn classrooms and blowup Frostys gleefully wave in the season. Teachers agree it’s that time in the semester where we can see the top … Continue reading “You Turns and Climbing the Christmas Hill” by William Klein
Injustice stands in the way of justice in nasty ways. I was to take students to their service site to serve a few weeks ago, and the trip was canceled due to a lockdown. There was a police chase outside our high school doors that ended with the alleged criminal, who was driving in a … Continue reading “Roots Of Injustice” by William Klein
My foray into service learning has reaped tremendous rewards. I’ve been exposed to the power of intention behind words. St. Francis said, “Teach the gospels and if necessary use words”. Francis knew the power of action to speak louder than words. My sense is that the intention behind the action makes all the difference. I’ve … Continue reading The Gift Of A Kind Intention by William Klein
I was attending a volleyball game at my school to support my students. The volleyball coach runs up to me and says, “We may need you to be a line judge”. She quickly taught me the hand signals for “out” and “in”. Two arms down, pointing stiffly at the ground – in. Two hands, palms … Continue reading Claiming The Moment by William Klein
