Anna Caruso

In the famous story of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare raised the now famous question, “What is in a name?”  And in the next sentence he gave his equally famous answer, “That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet.” In his poetic language, Shakespeare was saying that names, in and of themselves, have no meaning.  And in our western culture that is largely true.  Names are simply labels that are applied to people for purposes of identification.  They are sometimes chosen by association as when a child is named after some relative or friend.  At […]

Can you remember as a child the anticipation you felt as Christmas approached?  It was such an exciting time of year.  For some reason, adults seemed to be a little happier and less fussy than usual.  Music filled the air, packages were under the tree, secrets were being whispered from person to person.  Sometimes the excitement would build until you would think you were going to burst.  Perhaps we have since discarded that kind of anticipation as just a childish fantasy; but I hope not, for it isn’t altogether without scriptural precedent.  For example, there is the meeting between the […]

Several years ago, there was a story in the news about a family in a small town in Florida.  It consisted of a father, a mother, and two young sons.  They were a normal    family, except for one problem.  Both boys had AIDS.  They had each contracted the virus through a blood transfusion.  Their presence in the public school was bitterly resisted by other parents, whose children attended that same school.  One night, under suspicious circumstances, the family’s house burned to the ground.  Finally, they were forced to move to another town.  They had been rejected by their own community. […]

The first public event that Jesus attended with His disciples was a wedding.  It took place in a small Galilean Village called Cana.  For a man planning to change the world, that seems a strange way to start – by attending a wedding in a country town.  And yet, Jesus performed His first miracle there. As weddings go, it was apparently quite an occasion.  To the bride and groom and their families, it was doubtless one of the major events of history.  All weddings are special to someone.  Your own wedding – past or future – was or will be […]