I got out of bed, looking forward to the bike ride I had planned for later, opened the windows to let in the cool morning air, started my coffee, then checked the weather. An air advisory of 139. I closed the windows. No coffee on the patio and as for that bike ride, well, that […]
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Many do year-end reviews. Me, I’ve been finding myself looking back over my whole life lately. I’ve been wondering, did I ever imagine myself being where I’m at today? And what about the state of the world? It’s a far cry from what I had imagined as a young adult, protesting the nuclear weapons build-up […]
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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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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 […]
Read More In my thirties and forties, I remember encouraging others to start preparing for their retirement, not just financially, but mentally and spiritually. Everyone ages, but not everyone ages with grace. You can’t expect to reach sixty or seventy or eighty, and become magically gracious, kind, loving and wise, if you never practiced any of these […]
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Have you ever awoken from a nightmare, relieved to know it had only been a dream? You may be disoriented for a while as you adjust to reality. Imagine Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, how confused she must have been when she first saw Jesus. Was this a dream? Or was this reality and the […]
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Random reflections on Psalm 39: God, why does life have to be so hard? I know my sinfulness, you know it too—after all you created me. If you know my nature then why be so harsh when I act in accord with that nature? When I behave in ways that are all too human? Remember, […]
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“My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” – Jesus cries from the cross, his lowest point, also his highest. This was what he had come here to do, to die so that we might live. In that moment he fulfilled all the Father had commanded. These last words in Mark’s gospel make up the […]
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How long, Lord? How long, indeed. God sure takes his time! “You are never late for yoga class,” my instructor used to say. “Whenever you arrive, you are just in time.” I was reminded of this while reflecting on Psalm 13. How long, the Psalmist cries out. God is taking his time to respond to […]
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