video: "Changing Signs of Truth: A Christian Introduction to Semiotics" (Crystal Downing)

Faculty Scholarship: Crystal Downing "Changing Signs of Truth" from Messiah Humanities on Vimeo.

the paradox of a Jesuit pope: "sometimes the one on the margins is just what the center needs"

The delightful  chaplain to the Colbert Report, Fr. James Martin writes:

...Jesuits often work “on the margins,” with groups who may be underserved by the church and other organizations, particularly the poor and marginalized. A few examples: One of my Jesuit brothers is the Catholic prison chaplain at San Quentin prison; he regularly tells me about his experiences counseling men on death row. Another Jesuit works with gang members in Los Angeles, helping them stay out of trouble and find work, often telling them, “Nothing stops a bullet better than a job.” Another helps indigent youth in Camden, New Jersey, learn web design skills at a company called Hopeworks. 

Our work on the margins means that we are occasionally viewed with suspicion in some quarters of the church. As one Jesuit said to me, “When you work on the margins, you sometimes step out of bounds.”

To confuse matters more, sometimes the local bishop asks Jesuits to take over a parish—so in some circumstances we end up working as “parish priests” after all. But my life, and my work at a Catholic magazine, while centered on God, is quite different from that of the daily life of a parish priest. Not better or worse, just different.

Sometimes, as in the case of Jorge Bergoglio, we’re asked to become bishops, in his case the archbishop of Buenos Aires. But that’s not the norm. Jesuit bishops are few, archbishops fewer, and cardinals perhaps in the single digits...

 ...And thus the irony. Jorge Bergoglio, a man who had promised never to strive for a position, was elected to the highest one in the Church. A man who was probably seen as something of an “outsider” by many of the cardinals in the papal conclave became the consummate insider. But sometimes the one on the margins is just what the center needs..  

..The College of Cardinals thinks needs fixing—which is really saying something. That’s one reason I think the cardinals elected Bergoglio. As a Jesuit he’s a bit of an “outsider,” and so may be seen as just the person to clean things up. (If he ever called this Wharton grad for advice, I’d tell him not to be afraid to fire at will.)

Considering that in just his first few days Pope Francis made so many changes—dispensing with some of the more elaborate Vatican rituals and vestments, ditching the traditional red shoes that every modern pope has donned in favor of his worn black ones, greeting people after a Sunday Mass in Vatican City with hugs and kisses, and, most of all, talking about how he much he hopes for “a church that is poor, and that is for the poor”—I believe he’s up to the task. The Jesuit tradition of prayer, hard work, analysis, flexibility, and sense of humor will serve him, and the Church, well. That’s my prayer.   LINK 

Video below, article:

‘World’s first 3-D printable handgun’ under fire

Randy Bachman on the secret of the magical mystery (mystical) chord

As Leonard Cohen once mentioned (in "Hallelujah"):

I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the Lord

TheWho's "Lifehouse"  was in large part about finding that secret, mystical chord "There once was a note..."

So...here's Randy Bachman "demistifying" the Beatles' magical mystery chord from "Hard Day's Night":

Johnny Cash on "Amazing Grace" and the prison crowd

Related:

• "He preaches WITH, not TO the damned...and he actually prefers their company"
• COFFEE, NOT JESUS

vs "Man, we sure demolished that pagan atheist's arguments with the gospel!"

^{Eugene Peterson's translation (The Message) of Colossians 4:5-6 speaks volumes to how we ought to be found "doing apologetics":}

^" Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out."

--
Related:

 Let's Lose The Cultural Debate

"Do you know my name?.."your about to find out who I am!...This will be national news!"

I hate to post this video of Reese Witherspoon's recent arrest for several obvious reasons. Watch the whole series here..


But what a great discussion starter for anyone feeling entitled...especially us pastor types.
And I wanted to be sure to note (bottom video) that she apologized well (watch Erin Burnett's challenge, and comparison to other public apologies.