Pseudo-Homilies 13 – The Ascension to… the Heavens?

The Ascension of the Lord (Year A) This is when Jesus Christ bids farewell to his people and ascends to Heaven. In this very unique case an anomalous inversion takes place: the First Reading takes the central role, with a narration that features Christ himself; the Gospel is relegated to a supporting role, representing only a sort of minor development. They appear to put forward two contrasting narratives: according to the Gospel of Matthew, the Eleven Apostles are sent to Galilee, where they finally meet their Master again. Instead Luke makes an exception to the internal logic of his book, and opens the Acts of the Apostles with an episode…

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Why problems are either very easy or very hard

Natural hurdles, human hurdles.   Did you notice? It’s quite uncommon to face medium difficulty problems. In your everyday life you are sometimes tasked to solve issues that seem impossible to come to grips with. There are mysteries that seem way bigger than our puny minds. We often get to comment on issues that on the contrary appear quite easy to deal with, and you are left wondering why people are still struggling with them. But you rarely seem to encounter intermediate level problems. How come?   Let’s put down some examples (I’ll alienate some readers in the process).   Producing a new vaccine requires an excellent research team and years of work, and…

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Martin Luther a sort of Christian Icon? Not In My Name

What would you say if you were a Lutheran? Today in Catholic countries we celebrate All Saints’ Day. Yesterday the Pope went to Sweden to open this ill-fated year of celebrations for the 500th of the so-called Protestant Reformation. As a Catholic representative, of course. Now, to better grasp how absurd all of this is, try to put yourself in the shoes of a Lutheran (if you are not already a Lutheran, that is). Please appreciate the behavior of the Pope and his entourage of sycophants/commentators/self-appointed-spokespersons, as seen from the perspective of someone who’s coming from a distance. Consider the implications of the photo I put here above. This is not…

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