“An assurance of safety and a temper of peace, and, in relation to others, a preponderance of loving affections.” — William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience, Lecture XX. Followers of The Hubbell Pew know that I sometimes run across a phrase that I find fascinating and produces a flow of thought. Such was my feeling when I…

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…like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel. — Pope Francis. Pope Francis use these magnificent words  to predict that an obsession with narrow political issues risked the moral edifice of the church falling. No I don’t want to discuss the moral edifice of the church or which narrow political issues…

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“Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Usually, when we are healthy and comfortable, we forget about others (something God the Father never does): we are unconcerned with their problems, their sufferings and the injustices they endure… Our heart grows cold. As long as I am relatively…

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The Pope has left the country and only time will tell whether his visit had a lasting impact or not. I hope it did. Suzy and I noticed the same thing about the media coverage of his visit — every reporter who reported on the Pope had a special smile on his or her face…

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