http://slow.writerscafe.org/rjowles The original writings of author Bishop R. Joseph Owles en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1775388920 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 A lot will be written and posted about Atonement this week, so let me add my two cents and explain what the Church originally taught before language of ransoms, substitution, and other legalistic and punitive ideas started becoming popular.The Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is the aton.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1743049/ If the Sacraments are the Marks of Christ given to the Church, instituted by Christ to give grace, then Jesus Christ Himself is the Sacrament of God given to humanity. All that can be said about the Sacraments can be said about Jesus Christ. He points to the sour.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1739003/ The Seven Sacraments of the ChurchCatholics are a Sacramental people. This is true regardless of the particular Catholic tradition. Eastern Orthodox, Old Catholics, Anglican Catholics, and Roman Catholics each center their faith and liturgies around the Seven Sacraments of the Church. The li.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1739000/ I have never met ANYONE who successfully demonstrated how to “love the sinner, but hate the sin.” In fact, I have only ever seen this idea put into practice as a means of self-delusion in which a person convinces himself that he is not hating the person, but merely hating the.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1599266/ The Gospel of John is the Gospel that is read on Easter in Church. The Gospel contains a reference to a character “The Beloved Disciple” or “The one whom Jesus loved.” This person is traditionally associated with John, whom is traditionally believed to be t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1509695/ The story of Easter is usually expressed as the story of a dead man coming back to life. If this is what it is, then the story of Easter is wrong. Easter is not a celebration of a dead man coming back to life. Yes, Jesus died. Yes, Jesus is then later alive. But it is not simply.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1509252/ But Jesus simply answered, “It’s not right to take bread away from children and throw it to dogs.”Jesus left from there and slipped away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And check it out! There was a Canaanite woman that lived there. She went out to Jesus, saying things like,.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1399875/ Two parables are rattling around in my brain today:The first is the Parable of the Sower. (Matthew 13:3-9; Luke 8:5-8; Mark 4:3-8). In this parable, Jesus says: “Once upon a time, there was a farmer who went out to scatter seeds on the ground so he could grow a crop.” In the cour.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1398989/ I no longer pay for good cable (if there is such a thing). The only reason that I have cable at all is because my modem costs nearly the same amount for a slower speed without cable, so I have basically network tv with a few cable channels I never watch thrown in. All that was to say that .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1389528/ The last time I did CPE, one of the assignments was to state which one of the twelve Apostles I was and why. Everyone went for Peter and John and whomever. I said Judas. (Apparently you’re not allowed to pick Judas).I grew up post-1960s and most of the Jesus movies after that time pr.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1384989/ I am fascinated by the recent efforts to recast Jesus into a free-market Capitalist. Forgetting for a moment that it is anachronistic to project Capitalism (or any other contemporary economic and/or political ideology) onto the first century, there is one sig.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1372106/ Today is Pentecost �" the day when the Apostles and disciples received the fullest expression and experience of the Holy Spirit. I say it that way deliberately because in John’s Gospel, the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit via the Resurrected Christ Himself, who breathed on t.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1368628/ The Gatherer of Wisdom: An Honest Translation of the Book of EcclesiastesThis translation is not for those who are comfortable and complacent. It is not for those who are good and religious and pious. It is a translation for the rest of us " the people who live with ambigu.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1359371/ I don’t believe in atheists.I know that will upset a lot of people, but it is true. I do not believe that atheists exist. Now, I believe that there are people in existence who call themselves atheists. I believe that there are people who do not believe in.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1358322/ I went to Jesus and said, “Teach me how to forgive the way you forgive.”Jesus smiled at me and asked, “Do you know what you are asking?”“No,” I admitted, “but I want to learn anyway.”“Before you can learn to f.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1356808/ A biblical scholar heard them debating and approached them. When he saw how well Jesus responded to the clergy, he asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”Jesus answered, “The most important is this: Listen, Israel! The Lor.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1335475/ I was a child the first time I ever heard the axiom: “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life.” A teacher spoke it and I thought it was the most profound piece of wisdom I have ever heard. I encountered the saying many mor.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1318453/ As I'm reading my devotionals, I hear a low rumble, barely perceptible but perceptible enough. "Was that thunder?" "Was that a truck?" "Was that a jet?" Then silence.As I continue reading my devotionals, I hear a louder version of a low rumble. But it is still difficult to make out. "It ca.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1318321/ People often ask me “Which is the best translation of the Bible?” Of course, I have to mention The New Peace Treaty: A New Translation of the New Testament for a New Millennium (my translation of the New Testament), but when it comes to “translations” there is no &ldquo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1300894/ This is the third week of expressing love. The first week was to emulate patience and all that doing so entails. The second week was adding kindness to our patience. (See “Love Is Patient” and “Love Is Kind” at rjowles.wordpress.com). If you have not kept up with this.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1297317/ The Magi were said to be wise men. They are sometimes said to be kings. They are sometimes thought of as men of power and prestige who come from the East to worship and offer treasure at the foot of a child.The Magi did not compete �" one did not think his own treasure to be mo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1293888/ Last week I spent some time looking at Saint Paul’s first qualification of love from chapter 13 of First Corinthians. That first qualifier was Love is patient. A little digging in the dictionary uncovered the fact that a “patient” love is a love that bears with difficult pe.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1293534/ A Sheep Among Wolves: One Man’s Stubborn Commitment To The Idea That GOD IS LOVEWhat if we really believed that God is love? What if we really believed that God is patient, and kind, and humble, forgiving and accepting? What if we really believed that God asks us to be patient, and k.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1292375/ Reading Genesis 1 - 3 again thismorning, I am reminded of a question I have every time: Where there twoseparate creations of human beings?A literal reading of Genesis would suggest there were. Those who believe that Genesis 1 " 11 (The stories from Creation up to the Tower of Babel a.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1291193/ The first thing Saint Paul tells us about love is that “Love is patient.”Now, unless Saint Paul means that love is sick or injured and in need of medical care, he is using the word as an adjective. It is a word we use all the time (i.e. “Be pati.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1291181/ I came across the passage that follows this morning:For _______________, the Eucharist is a visible sign of unity; to receive the Eucharist in a community to which one does not belong is improper. If one does not accept all that the Church belie.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1289698/ One of the problems I always had as a child was that I wanted to be good and I wanted to have faith, but I never knew how. I would go to church and they would say “Be Good” but never give me suggestions as to what “being good” looked like. They would tell me to &ldquo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1288736/ The problem as I see it with the politicization of every aspect of life is that when it is applied to the Gospel, it creates distorted images of the Gospel, and of Jesus Christ. What I mean is this: most people seem to begin, not with the Gospel, but with their p.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1286552/ The Continental Congress voted to be Independent of Great Britain on July 2, 1776 but we celebrate July 4 when the Declaration was approved. We do not celebrate when we became Independent, but why we became Independent! The Actual Independence Day and when we celebrate Independence Day are.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1280603/ Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the two major doctrinal differences between the Old Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Prior to Pope Pius IX’s definition of the Immaculate Conception as a.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1279315/ I think that each of us would be a lot better off if we simply worked for what we think is right, and behaved in the way we think is right, instead of trying to get those who believe differently that they should believe like us and behave the way we think they sh.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1279009/ Last night someone I know started an argument with me. It is not the first time he has done this. In the past, I have actually amended my He did so by asking me a question and then arguing with my answer. In fact, every time he asked a question, it was never to actually find out what I thi.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1276862/                Your enemies are worthy of your love!                If Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but you refuse to love them, and deem them .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1276288/ God is love; therefore, the opposite of love must be the opposite of God. Many people believe that hate is the opposite of love, but in reality, hate is very often love that is infected by anger and resentment, both of which are the result of fear. So hate is fear-based love that cannot .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1275655/ So now there is apparently a war on Thanksgiving and people are offended that people are out shopping?Is it anyone’s job to tell others how they must be thankful? Maybe shopping is how some people show their gratitude for the wealth in their pockets, howeve.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1273794/ Dylan is 10 years old and has lived in a vegetative state since birth. Dylan’s parents, Eckhard and Barbara Gerzmehle, care for him around the clock and machines monitor his vital signs and health. Dylan is also cared for by his faithful friend Tascha, a 6-year-old Staffordshire Bull.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1272785/ What if love is simply recognizing God in another?And, since God is love, why do we often think and speak as if love and God were two distinct things, rather than one thing. God is love; Love is God; Therefore, we can substitute the word “Love” for the word “God.”.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1272235/ A steel girder appears solid and motionless; yet, it is really the product of billions and billions of atoms, which are more empty space than matter, and which are whirling about with whirling electrons. So what seems solid and stable and motionless is in reality empty and moving and whirl.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1271345/ I keep seeing so much anger -- not just anger "out there" in the world among political rivals and others, but anger in the Church. Christians angry at Christians; Christians deciding that other Christians are not Christian. There is just an insane amount of anger.Anger is a secondary emoti.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1269771/ People have been led to think that all they need is faith. Faith is important, but it is what you do with faith that matters! A person could have a freezer and refrigerator full of food, but unless that person takes the food out, and turns it into a meal, that person can still starve. Having.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1266323/ Question: What does the Bible say about birth control? Can believers use birth control?Answer: Birth control and its use can be found in principles given in the Bible. The Bible also gives us guidelines concerning the sex life, in general, within a marriage. The Bible does say states a husband.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1265839/ I'm watching The Sopranos and Tony is talking to his therapist, and when asked about accepting a gay Capo, he dismisses it with "I'm a strict Catholic."This is a man whose God is clearly money, who uses the Lord's name in vain, who murders, who extorts, who uses violence and the threat of .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1264827/ The best way to ensure that someone who you do not like becomes more of what you do not like is to try to change what you do not like about that person.When you confront someone with what you do not like about them, you end up making that person defend that behavior, and actually becoming .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1261393/ I usually stay in the New Testament because that is my area of expertise (if such a thing can be said), but here is a bit of Old Testament that, to me, expresses what I have been saying. The Book of Numbers, Chapter 14, verses 28-30, says:The LORD says:Tell them: “By my life”&#.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1261094/ What I find truly ironic is denominations saying that they are not in "full communion" with this or that church, or that they do not recognize this or that church, and yet, they assemble in their own churches each week and confess their faith in "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church."The.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1260416/ “In my Father’s presence in heaven, I’ll publicly acknowledge friendship with anyone who acknowledges friendship with me in front of other people. But I will deny friendship in my Father’s presence in heaven with those who deny friendship .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1259679/ Then he climbed into the boat and his students climbed in after him. And check it out! A huge storm happened while they were crossing the sea. It was so violent that the boat was beginning to take on water and it appeared that they would sink. But Jesus just slept through it. So they went .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1259172/     THE NEW PEACE TREATY is a translation with one, simple purpose behind it: to help you understand the Bible, at least that portion of it commonly referred to as the New Testament. This is fundamentally important for Christians because all Christians, regardless of their par.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1257489/ What If There Were Another Valid Catholic Church?What If That Other Catholic Church Was More In Line With What You Believe?What if there were a valid Catholic Church that allowed priests to marry, where divorce was not treated like an unforgiveable sin, where birth control and contraception we.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1256742/ Jesus told them this story to show them that they should always pray and never be discouraged. He said, “Once upon a time, there was a judge who lived in a particular city. He wasn’t afraid of God and he didn’t think very highly of other people. There was also a widow in th.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/rjowles/1254533/