So, how’s the ADVENT CHALLENGE going with you? If you remember (and how could you possibly forget anything I say?!), I offered my traditional Advent Challenge once again this year: During all the noisiness of daily life—which often gets even more frenetic during the Christmas Season), dedicate yourself to 15-20 minutes of silence every day. … Read more
Dear Friends, Sssshhhh! Be quiet! Do you hear? Do you see? Can you sense it: the coming of the Son of Man? The Presence? We begin the Advent Season. And often the readings for the first few Sundays of Adent seem ominous. Like today: Jesus talks about the mysterious “coming of the Son of Man” … Read more
Beloved Family in Christ, As we come to this Sunday’s celebration of the Feast of Christ the King, we’re invited to ask a very personal question: Who or what really rules my heart? The Church ends the liturgical year not with a warning, but with a beautiful reminder that above all the noise, uncertainty, chaos … Read more
Dear Friends, Today we see Jesus and the Sadducees discussing resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection and eternal life (So, they were sad, you see?). It seemed impossible for them. It made no sense. There was no verifiable proof. Yet, Jesus counters that it is only because of the limits of their imagination … Read more
Dear Friends, When we see the grateful leper return to Jesus to thank him, we, of course, think of gratitude. Which, in turn, makes me think of the oft quoted Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it we be enough.” Well, that got me thinking: … Read more
My Dear Friends, This week I will journey to Assisi, the home of Saint Francis, with my oldest and dearest friend, Liam. In the company of friendship, I am reminded of how Francis lived: he saw every relationship as a window into God’s love and every person—no matter how different—as a brother or sister. Our nation, as … Read more
Dear Friends, Greetings from Assisi! With all the violence and chaos going on back home in the US right now and with all the war and violence in many parts of the world, I wanted to share with you a quote from Rowan Williams. This is the quote with which I end each weekly retreat, … Read more
When life gets overwhelming, our instinct is often to look down. We look down at our phones, our shoes, the floor—anywhere but up. When we’re hurting, when we’re tired, when life feels too heavy, we often close in on ourselves, but today, on this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Church invites … Read more
Ah, good ol’ Ruby Turpin. Today’s gospel parable always brings to mind for me the character from Flannery O’Connor’s short story Revelation. In fact, Flannery wrote this story these words of Jesus in mind: “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” In the story, Ruby considers herself … Read more
Dear Friends, Jesus uses not just one, but three parables, to make his point in today’s gospel from Luke! Now far from wanting to frighten us into not “getting caught” misbehaving and suffering the consequences of eternal punishment, Jesus is encouraging us to live fully awake, aware, and alive. As Sr Ephrem Hollermann puts it, … Read more
In our Gospel from Luke, often called, ‘the parable of the rich fool’, for this coming Sunday, we read, “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’’ You see, the rich farmer is a fool not because … Read more
So, there are a few truths that I have decided will never change. First, the NSA will always know where I am, what wrongs I have committed, and what I am doing now. Secondly, Alexa will always record things that I do in my bedroom; let’s just leave it at that! And, if Alexa compares … Read more
Dear Friends, So here we are—finally! — back in Ordinary Time. I love the sacred seasons of Lent and Easter with the big finale of Pentecost. Yet by the end of the Easter Season, I am always ready for a return to Ordinary Time. Yes, there are a few feast days like Holy Trinity and … Read more
“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.” When is the last time you said something like that? “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of me.” We don’t usually talk like that but it’s a really important point for us who are disciples of Jesus: Do we let his Spirit … Read more
“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.” When is the last time you said something like that? “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of me.” We don’t usually talk like that but it’s a really important point for us who are disciples of Jesus: Do we let his Spirit … Read more
Dear Friends, So here we are, entering the Third Week of Easter. I so appreciate the gospel of John during this season, because he gives us insight into how to live “post-Easter.” I mean, we had an amazing Easter Vigil and Easter Day at Saint Miriam filled with beautiful music and décor (to say nothing of … Read more
Dear Friends and Parishioners, It is Holy Week! We all enjoyed – together, in person, or virtually – a beautiful Palm Sunday. The start of the holiest week of the Christian year has begun. Much preparation has gone into this week, from liturgy to planning to music and so much more, and now we are … Read more
“If you had known the things that make for peace.” So weeps Jesus as looks out over Jerusalem, right before he enters the city for Passover—that is, right before what we now call “the Triumphal Entry.” Two thousand years later, we weep as we seek to know “the things that make for peace.” And yet the truth is that Jesus, as he uttered … Read more
What is your image of God? How do you picture God, think of God, “see” God? The clearest, most complete and perfect image of God is given to us by Jesus is his Parable of the Prodigal Son. We have heard this story so many times and we all love it, but after hearing it so … Read more
Dear Friends, Soon it will be April and I will carefully unwrap my fig trees in the side yard. A gift from Katelyn’s grandfather, Louis, and all the way from Italy, they are a treasure, but they take a lot of work! Every fall I harvest the last figs, say a prayer, and then wrap … Read more