This weekend we celebrate Valentine’s Day with hearts and flowers and chocolate! It’s a celebration of love. So what do broken hearts have to do with this day? For those who have lost a loved one or are still searching for that special someone, all the talk of love can leave them feeling sad, alone […]
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With all that has happened over the past months, Psalm 2 struck me as particularly relevant. “Why do the nations conspire and the people’s plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed.” (Psalm 2:1-2 NIV) Other versions say “Why do the nations rage and […]
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We love our royals, don’t we? This speaks to the popularity of TV shows such as “The Crown” and all of the media attention around royal weddings. We are fascinated by the spectacle of people who are somehow set apart from the rest of us from birth, born of royal stock. Have you ever thought […]
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Trees are beautiful sights to see. There are so many varieties and shapes, with branches that go in varying directions, covered with leaves and fruit, making a strong foundation from which to hang swings, bird feeders, hold tree houses, or hang ornaments for Christmas. They are wonderful pieces of God’s creation. So many of the […]
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Merry Christmas! While the Christmas shopping season ended Christmas day, Christmas is more than a day. Remember the twelve days of Christmas? Christmas is a season in the Catholic liturgical calendar, lasting over two weeks, from Christmas day to the Baptism of the Lord in January. All reason to raise a cup of Christmas! Celebrating […]
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Today I raise a cup of love and reflect on Isaiah 7:10-14 as we light the last purple candle on the Advent wreath. The Word Love Love is a much used and abused term in the English language. We use the same word to describe how we feel about certain foods, such as pizza and […]
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This week I raise a cup of Joy (or Faith since Joy requires faith!) Our time of waiting for Christmas is half over; this is reason for rejoicing for some, for terror for others who are not ready. In Catholic churches throughout the world, the rose candle of the Advent wreath is lit, signaling the […]
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During the second week of Advent we light the candle of Peace. I offer you a cup of peace – my reflections on peace through the words of the prophet Isaiah. Beating Swords into Plowshares In the 1980’s, members of the peace community decided to take the words of Isaiah 2:4 literally in what was […]
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This week as many Christian churches light the first candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of hope, I offer you my reflections on hope – a cup of hope! Handel’s Messiah One of my Advent traditions is to listen to the Messiah. I’ve been doing this since high school. The overture is one of […]
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I completed my weekly journey through the Psalms in November with Psalm 150 so I’m taking a break from the Psalms this Advent in order to focus on Advent themes and readings from Isaiah. Each week will feature a different cup with Advent wreath themes: hope, peace, joy, love. Join me in a cup of […]
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