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Sermon on the Mount: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

The Sermon on the Mount is the very blueprint for Christian lifestyle, and most scholars see it as the best summary of Jesus’ teaching. But we can’t understand this wisdom with the rational, dualistic mind; in fact, we will largely misunderstand it while convinced that we got it on the first try. As we saw last week, Jesus taught an alternative wisdom—the Reign of God—which overturns the conventional and common trust in power, possessions, and

Dealing with Our Passions (Part V)

In the final analysis it’s pride that causes fear. Thus the conversation with my fear could lead to humility. I could reconcile myself to my limits, to my weaknesses and mistakes. “I am allowed to make a fool of myself. I don’t have to be able to do everything.” But there are also fears that do not point to any false outlook on life, but are necessarily bound up with being human. For example, there