Monday, September 23, 2019
No matter how earnestly a person believes the world is flat, if that person keeps moving in the same direction, he or she will eventually arrive back where he or she started. Willful ignorance is always upended by truth—this is the nature of reality. I think sin works...
Sunday, September 22, 2019
One of my seminary classmates and I went on a pilgrimage to visit Marian shrines in the United States. We camped for a night along Lake Michigan. As we made our way to the beach, we followed a stream lined by tall trees that cast dark shadows against the brilliant...
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Once upon a time, two downtown churches in a large urban center each had a ministry with unhoused individuals. At the first church, participants were invited into a space that had been converted for this ministry. Church members and volunteers served food from behind...
Friday, September 20, 2019
On a fishing trip several years ago, I decided to cross a stream to retrieve a snagged lure. What had appeared a benevolent stream was a deceptively fast-running torrent—I feared my waders would be swamped. I knew if that happened, I would be pulled down and out to...
Thursday, September 19, 2019
The Beatitudes are some of Jesus’ most inspiring words, and they are recorded for us in Matthew and Luke. What Luke records [or writes] as merely “the poor,” Matthew adds the qualifier “in spirit.” Having encountered endemic poverty, I have come t….(View this...
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Today is the first of three Ember Days this week (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday). Ember Days fall once in each season and are observed by clergy as days of fasting and prayer, a time for deep reflection on their vocation. Ember Days are also the appointed times for...
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
On the day they crucify Jesus, his limp body hanging on the cross, his followers hide—afraid for their lives as they recall the cries of the crowd: Crucify him! The regular folks who have gathered to watch the killing seem convinced that Jesus’ teachings are...
Monday, September 16, 2019
Years ago, I overheard a conversation between two engineers, one a Christian and the other, an Animist. The Christian asked, “Do you really believe that spirits live in rocks and trees and rivers and such?” The Animist asked, “Do you really believe that a man was...
Sunday, September 15, 2019
When I started going to church and preparing for baptism, my wife told me, “Whatever you do, don’t come back later and tell me you want to be a priest!” A few years later, I spent a long day working up the courage to tell my wife I thought I was being called to...
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Jesus’ ministry is invitational, not coercive. He responds to the faith of those who seek him with healing and wholeness—he does not demand their obeisance or obedience. Jesus reserves his sharpest words for those who impose barriers on loving responses to the world’s...
