Monday Meals 2022
Food for the Good Fight
The Hunt for Happiness
May 23, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell, Ben Tate
Today's Monday Meal is an essay called "The Hunt for Happiness," written by our very own Ben Tate. Mr. Tate teaches History, Bible, and Math at The Oaks. Drawing from the wisdom of past voices, as well as on the wisdom of latter ages, Ben Tate responds to perennial questions regarding human existence: what does it mean to be happy, and does happiness matter for a Christian? In a time where pleasure and feeling good is the highest good, his answer matters. You can find Ben Tate's essay printed in the this month's edition of Cultura, along with Megan Tallman's speech defending the resurrection of Christ.
Defending the Resurrection
May 9, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell, Megan Tallman
Welcome to another Monday Meal! We are still in the season of Easter on the church calendar. In light of this, we are reading an essay that defends the veracity of Christ's resurrection. This essay is by Megan Tallman and was one of the top "forensic speeches" selected for its excellence by Mr. Kimball in his Senior Rhetoric class. Megan's speech is an exercise in what rhetoricians call "the conjectural speech," which aims to prove whether a crime happened or not. More broadly, a conjectural speech is a question of fact: did an alleged event happen? At a Classical Christian school, naturally, we take the classical tools of rhetoric and apply them to proving the historical reliability of the Christian faith. Thus, this paper answers a simple question, "Did the resurrection really happen?" Of all the facts in the history of the world, the resurrection of Jesus is the most significant. How one answers this question will govern the rest of one's life. Hear Megan Tallman's answer now. You also can find her essay printed in the upcoming Cultura Edition, along with other content as well. Hope you enjoy.
On (Not) Growing Weary of Easter
April 25, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell
Happy Easter Oaks Families, and this is your Monday Meal for April 25, 2022. I hope everyone had a restful and celebratory Easter break. Since we are in the season of Easter, I want to focus on the significance of the resurrection of Christ. Today I'll be reading from an essay I wrote for the CiRCE Institute in May of last year. In this essay, I try to remind us of what the classical pagan understanding of death was and why it matters for those of us living on this side of Christ's victory over death. The essay is titled, "On (Not) Growing Weary of Easter." Hope you enjoy.
Field of Dreams
April 11, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell
Welcome to the Monday Meal for April 10. In light of the "Deep Roots" campaign launch this last weekend, which was a fabulous time, I wanted to read a story from our latest Cultura edition. This story relates some of the key events in the history of the school, especially those which have brought us to this point in the building project. But as you'll see I have written this story from a different perspective and point of view than we may be used to. The story is called, "Field of Dreams," and I hope you enjoy.
Do It Musically
March 28, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell, Kent Young
Hello Oaks Families! For this is the week's Monday Meal, we read an essay by our Music and Conservatory Director, Mr. Kent Young. This essay came out of a series of discussions with faculty and students around the concept of Beauty and why it matters. The essay, titled "Do It Musically," is the first of a series of thoughts on the subject. You can find his essay printed in the March edition of our publication called "Cultura." Pick one up next time you're in the office. Enjoy!
The Truth About Education
March 14, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell, Kenwyn Trotter
For today’s Monday Meal we are reading the chapter from G. K. Chesterton's book, What’s Wrong With The World. The chapter is called, “The Truth About Education.” It is a good reminder that a purely neutral education is not really possible, that there is no value-free learning, and that even secular schools will impart some fundamental moral or even religious belief about the world. This essay is read by Kenwyn Trotter. We hope you enjoy.
"I am Gollum"
February 28, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell, Brittany Hartke
Today's reading comes from an essay written by our very own Traditio teacher, Brittany Hartke. I asked her to compose an article on the value of reading literature, and she wrote a great piece for our new monthly publication called Cultura (pick one up next time you're in the office). Her essay is called "I am Gollum," and we are blessed to have it written and read by Brittany Hartke. Enjoy!
What If a Man Gain the Whole World?
February 14, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell
For today’s Monday Meal, Devin reads another passage out of his book, The Age of Martha (see link below). This reading comes from a section in Chapter 3 called, "What if a man gain the whole world?" (pages 80-82, Classical Academic Press, 2019). Hope you enjoy!
The Cautionary Tale of Alypius
January 17, 2022 • Devin O'Donnell
This last weekend we hosted our first Parent Academy event of 2022, where we watched a documentary on social media and discussed its dangers and threats not only to our culture but also to our humanity. In light of this, I thought it fitting to read a passage from Augustine's Confessions. In this story, we meet Augustine's friend Alypius, who, like many people today, became addicted to entertainment and to watching things he shouldn't. In spite of Alypius' weakness, God was still kind to rescue him from his bondage, though not without difficulty. These are sobering words for us today, but we need to be reminded that we cannot be freed from such things without Christ who strengthens us. [Note: this translation of "Confessions" is by Maria Boulding, published by Ignatius Press]
