The Dying Christian to His Soul
Vital spark of heav’nly flame! Quit, O quit this mortal frame: Trembling, hoping, ling’ring, flying, O the pain, the bliss of dying! Cease, fond Nature, cease thy strife, And let me languish into life. Hark! they whisper; angels say, Sister...
The Rebel and the Cause
Our parents and grandparents had Patton and MacArthur; we got stuck with McChrystal, although, if you believe everything that Rolling Stone writer Michael Hastings says, McChrystal is the real deal—raw, rebellious, macho, blasphemous, and totally out of control. In his...
St. George, Patron of Tolerance?
St. George is an unlikely candidate for “saint most likely to promote tolerance and ecumenical understanding” these days. The legendary soldier is most often pictured astride a gallant warhorse, nobly piercing a large dragon with his lance or spear while...
Carrying the Fallen
Three American flags draped the coffins lying on the cargo floor of my C-17. It was only three hours earlier that I had received a phone call informing me that my crew was to fly from Europe to America; no...
Reading the Hymns: Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending
I have so enjoyed Matt’s weekly postings of hymnodic reflections that I’ve jumped at the opportunity to continue the series during his absence. This week’s hymn, another of the four most popular Anglican hymns, is often sung in the days...
Evesdropping at the National Gallery of Art
A recent visit to the National Gallery of Art in D.C. afforded me the opportunity to view some of the most striking and important paintings in the world, as well as an opportunity to eavesdrop and people-watch. Some die-hard aesthetes...
The same old New World?
Since the discovery of the American continent, Europeans saw the land I call home as the objectification of Nature, good and bad. Coming to a relatively unpopulated region, the European explorers, settlers, and thinkers were faced with a lot empty...
The (Economic?) Case for Babies
I’m in the market for babies and, based on the research, it’s prime time to be having them. Happily married, financially stable, and with a happiness quotient that should make the rich and famous envious, my wife and I are...
Guest Voices: Rebecca Elizabeth
This summer seems to be the summer of guest voices at MereO. Either we are going through a major identity crisis and are desperately reaching for others to bring us a voice and thesis that we can’t find ourselves…or, we’ve...
Hijabistas: A Lesson in Cultural Activism
I happened to run across a “human interest” piece at the BBC today with a title bound to attract a high number of curious in-clicks: “Muslim designers mix hijab with the latest fashions”. Lady Gaga’s “Fashion” pulses in the background...