Tag Archives: Abraham Joshua Heschel

“Woke”

Posted on May 6, 2025 by richp45198

I have struggled with the meaning of this emotionally charged word that has come to represent a certain category of persons who have come under fire and threat these days. Here is the Miriam Webster definition: “aware of and actively … Continue reading →

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How to be a Bad Christian

Posted on May 8, 2024 by richp45198

The other day I was conversing with a man who had seen considerable combat and was judging himself for some of the things he did during combat. I asked him whether he had a spiritual perspective and he said “I … Continue reading →

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Encounters with the Holy

Posted on August 13, 2021 by richp45198

Recently I was standing on a beach in Oregon with my son Matt. We were watching a beautiful sunset and I said to Matt ‘This is holy.” A holy moment for me is not one of good behavior as I … Continue reading →

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Unanswered Prayer

Posted on March 26, 2021 by richp45198

My brother asked me an interesting question the other day. “What is the most frequent unanswered prayer?”, he asked. His opinion is that the most frequent unanswered prayer is “Lord, let me win the lottery.” He might be right. I … Continue reading →

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The Joys of Doubting

Posted on October 18, 2019 by richp45198

When I was growing up Catholic, questioning aspects of my faith was frowned on, even at times suggested to be sinful. And yet at an early age I questioned, perhaps because of trying to make sense of early tragedies in … Continue reading →

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On Finding the Sacred in the Secular

Posted on April 20, 2019 by richp45198

I have come to believe that one does not have to go to a church, synagogue, or mosque to encounter the Sacred. This picture is one I took of one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever experienced — … Continue reading →

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On The Coalition of Callousness

Posted on March 28, 2019 by richp45198

Writing in 1962, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel used the phrase “coalition of callousness” when describing a major societal impediment to social consciousness. He reiterated this concept in his efforts to encourage others to protest both racial inequality and the Viet … Continue reading →

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On Reading the Bible a Third Time

Posted on January 27, 2015 by richp45198

A while back, I wrote a piece on experiencing God and noted that I had not found God in the Bible. My daughter Becky challenged me on this observation and, upon reflection, she was right. I have met God in the … Continue reading →

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On Finding God through Baseball

Posted on January 16, 2015 by richp45198

I have been reading an interesting book titled Baseball as a Road to God by John Sexton. Dr. Sexton (who also happens to be president of NYU) has been teaching a popular seminar of the same name for some years. In … Continue reading →

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Further Thoughts On Experiencing God

Posted on October 29, 2014 by richp45198

An articulate, deeply spiritual  young man asked me the other day where and when I experience God. For him, his clearest experience of God occurs when he writes poetry. I’ve written here at various times of different experiences I’ve had … Continue reading →

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