The Encouraging Thomist

The 12 Apostles Icon I. Cars have changed a lot over the years. Actually, in the grand scale of history,  automobiles, cars, and the like,   have existed for a pretty short amount of time    with the approximate invention of the automobile     dating to somewhere around 1885!     [Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/auto.html] Now, as you can imagine,  automobiles have changed quite a lot since their invention.   They have become much more powerful, much more efficient,    technologically advanced machines that have enabled everyday people     like you and me,      to travel a ridiculous amount of distance in a short time. I mean, imagine that all you have is horseback  and you need to make it to Little Rock for a meeting?   It's going to take you longer than an hour! Or imagine that you need to be transported to the hospital  to receive treatment for a sickness   and ambulances didn't exist yet? Cars, trucks, and other

Wedding at Cana Icon I. So, here we are, at a wedding in Cana of Galilee.  The festivities have commenced,   and we are going to be celebrating, partying, enjoying family and friends    for the next entire week!     7 Days! Because that's how we do it in the 1st century! Our kids and grandkids are playing games outside,  There is lively music and dancing.   We are resting and relaxing from having several days off work.    And we are having festive food and wonderful red wine to drink each night     as wine is the festive drink for all weddings in our culture. As you make your way through the party,  you see brick layers,   house builders,    friends from the marketplaces,     herdsman coming in from watching their cattle and their sheep. You see religious leaders leading the joyful ceremonial actions of marriage,  blessing the bride and groom,   leading songs of blessing from God on their marriage. And one night, when the festivities have drawn on and

The Baptism of Christ Icon I. Water is really really weird. Every living thing on earth,  in one way or another,   must have water in order to live. Your body composition,  the stuff that your body is made up of?   60% of us is water!    [https://water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html] Even though you can survive multiple weeks without food,  you can only survive without water for a maximum of two days,   perhaps even sooner!    [https://www.livescience.com/32320-how-long-can-a-person-survive-without-water.html] But water is also an incredibly destructive force as well. If you have been to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans,  you know how destructive Hurricane Katrina was   and the rising flood of water that broke the levies near the Gulf Coast. Even though you are 60% water by material,  you cannot breathe it.   And many many people each year die by drowning. Water:  it is a substance that is both essential to life,   and is can be destructive to that l

The Gifts of the Magi Icon I. ¿Dónde está el que ha nacido rey de los judíos?   Vimos levantarse su estrella y hemos venido a adorarlo. How would you respond to that question? Or,  do you even know what you were asked? Think about how it would feel to always be frustrated  or confused,   or even looked down upon    because you didn't know how to speak another language? When someone doesn't speak the dominant language,  it is absolutely isolating. Anyone who has traveled to either a different country  or who has immersed themselves in the culture and traditions of the Hispanic American populations   of the southwest United States,    can tell you first hand how your expertise in English won't get you far     if you can't speak Spanish or Portuguese. If you can't speak the language, you are deemed an outsider.  Someone from the outside, foreign to the culture and language. And if anthropology and human nature have taught us anything,