Sunday Reading

Today being Palm Sunday, I'm linking you over to Padre Mickey's Dance Party, the blog of an Episcopal priest serving in Panama, in which you get to see how they gather and prepare palms for Palm Sunday. While here, one person just goes over to the Cathedral to pick up a bunch already ready for Sunday, in Panama, they head out to gather them in the jungle and the altar guild folks then make them ready for use in church. I love how everyone is involved getting the church ready for the day! See the palm gathering here, and the preparations here.

Over at Religion Dispatches (Exhilarating the Breakfast Table since 2008), check out this essay by Mark Vernon called "Does Evolution Favor Religion?" Vernon takes a look at the "selfish gene" versus the "Good Samaritan" and explores the question of individualism and acts of altruism in light of the work of David Sloan Wilson, a biologist who calls "the selfish gene" a myth and who believes that human success depends upon doing what's best for the community rather than individuals.

Finally, check out this map from Gallup showing the self-reported well-being (thriving, struggling, or suffering) of adults in all the countries in the world.

Happy Reading!