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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There is a new sense of time that can come with age: gero-transcendence, or climbing over, transcending, age. Memories of past events from childhood seem like only yesterday. They are as real now as when they first happened. You can hold the past and present together in a new way you couldn’t before. The veil […]
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“Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.” (1) Thus begins Psalm 73. The psalm ends with words of confident trust, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.” (26) But the path to reach this faith […]
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Work is important, but so is rest from labor. Psalm 62 is one of a group of seven psalms that focus on trust and confidence in God: 4, 11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 131. It is a welcome respite from the laments we’ve been reading. We need rest from lamenting, moving from lament to trust! […]
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Something strange has happened over the last few weeks. Perhaps it was the winter cold and snow, turning my blood into slow-flowing molasses in my veins. (Think of it as playing a 78rpm record at 33rpms for those of you old enough to remember what this is.) Perhaps it just because I’m growing older. Or […]
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Before Jesus went to his death, at his last supper, he prayed, “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (John 17:11b) He prayed for his church, for all of us who would come after him in faith. His is a […]
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I love the Advent season. While society is rushing to Christmas, I savor the sights and sounds of Advent with somber purples and music that speaks of longing and anticipation. I love the Advent readings which speak of hope to a people praying for the long awaited Savior. Yes, I’m not a purist. I do […]
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Ordinary Time – Season of Stability I’ve always preferred leaving parties while they are still going strong rather than waiting until the last minute. That way I can leave with pleasant memories intact, wanting more rather than having had my fill. But there is something to be said about waiting until the last moment. When […]
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Ordinary Time – Season of Stability Life would never be the same, or so many insisted after 9/11. We walked around in a daze for weeks feeling our existence as a nation had been threatened, our sense of security taken away. We kept wondering, when would the other shoe drop? Where would the next terrorist […]
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