ProfessorBainbridge.com

On a Personal Note

I wanted to let my readers know how we’re doing given the Los Angeles fires. The two main fires are the Palisades and Eaton fires. The Palisades fire is about 15 miles west of us out in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. It is mainly moving away from us. Sadly, however, many of my work colleagues do live in that area and have been evacuated. Several lost their homes.

The Eaton fire is about 15 miles northeast of us, up above Pasadena. It has not moved in our direction, thankfully.

Last Wednesday night a brush fire broke out in a canyon just northwest of us. It was about a quarter-mile away. We could see and smell the fire quite distinctly. Almost immediately, Helen and I were ordered to evacuate. We threw some stuff together, grabbed our dog Harry, and headed out. I’ve since bought us each a duffel bag and we’re organizing go bags to have essentials ready to grab if we go through this again.

We were able to find a hotel in Santa Monica that was outside the fire evacuation zones. Everyone at the hotel was incredibly welcoming, but we were quite worried about our home. A neighbor who evacuated after we did reported that the fire was almost to our house. So we were hoping and praying but preparing mentally for being burnt out.

I know God always answers prayer but I also know that sometimes the answer is “no.” But not this time. This time the answer was a resounding yes. We were able to connect to the security camera system at our house late Wednesday night and were overjoyed to see that the LAFD had stopped the fire before it reached our home.

We were able to return home Thursday afternoon and were again overjoyed to see that the house was intact.

The Sunset fire ended up burning only 43 acres, mostly of brush in undeveloped canyons. As far as I know, no structures in our neighborhood took fire damage.

Like a lot of our neighbors, however, our house took some water damage. The firefighters were using planes and helicopters to drop water on the fire and apparently quite a lot hit our house.  It also appears that they hosed down the house to keep embers from igniting. We’ve had to arrange to a home remediation service to come in and repair some damage. Fortunately, our insurance will cover most of that cost. All in all, compared to what others suffered, we feel very blessed.

Crossing the Threshold of Hope: A Transformative Encounter with John Paul II's Thought

Pope John Paul II's book Crossing the Threshold of Hope was published 30 years ago, but I'm finally reading it. It's been a tremendously impactful experience.

In Crossing the Threshold of Hope, John Paul II offers readers far more than a mere collection of theological musings. Through a series of probing questions posed by journalist Vittorio Messori, the pope engages in a remarkable intellectual journey that bridges faith and reason, tradition and modernity, and the eternal questions that haunt the human heart.

What makes this work particularly compelling is how John Paul II addresses contemporary challenges to faith while drawing upon his deep philosophical training. His discussion of human dignity and the relationship between faith and human freedom resonates powerfully with Catholic social teaching, yet remains accessible to readers of all backgrounds. The pope's phenomenological approach, influenced by his early scholarly work, brings fresh insight to age-old questions about God's existence, human suffering, and the Church's role in modern society.

The book's treatment of religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue reflects both courage and wisdom. While firmly grounding his responses in Catholic tradition, John Paul II demonstrates remarkable openness to truth wherever it may be found. His exploration of other faith traditions shows profound respect while maintaining clear conviction about his own beliefs.

Perhaps most striking is the deeply personal nature of the work. Despite his role as Supreme Pontiff, John Paul II speaks with disarming directness about his own spiritual journey and encounters with God. This combination of intellectual rigor and personal witness makes Crossing the Threshold of Hope a uniquely valuable contribution to modern religious thought.

For those seeking to understand both the challenges and opportunities facing faith in our time, this book remains an indispensable guide. Its enduring relevance speaks to John Paul II's remarkable ability to engage the deepest questions of human existence with both intellectual depth and pastoral sensitivity.