The Temple of God
For Sunday, March 8, 2015, 3rd Sunday of Lent In Jesus’ day, the Temple was the center of Jewish religious life. We know from Scripture how much Jesus loved the Temple. He traveled to Jerusalem frequently to attend feasts there. Even as a child, he referred to it as “my Father’s house” (Lk 2:49). In […]
A Spirit of Surrender
For Sunday, March 1, 2015, 2nd Sunday of Lent A couple weeks ago, one of the most esteemed media writers in American journalism died: David Carr, of The New York Times. He was fifty-eight. Carr had been battling lung cancer. It wasn’t the only battle he’d waged in his life; Carr was also a recovering […]
Into the Desert
For Sunday, February 22, 2015, 1st Sunday of Lent Trappist Monk Thomas Merton introduced us to the wisdom and beauty of Eastern religious traditions. As a spiritual master, Merton discovered that many eastern practices and ideologies could bring a breath of insight and wisdom to his own spiritual tradition. For those looking to take seriously […]
Do Everything for the Glory of God
For Sunday, February 15, 2015, 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time I needed to get some work done, including this reflection, but my eleven-year-old son kept bugging me to play basketball in the driveway. It had been cold recently, but on this day in North Carolina, it was sunny and close to seventy degrees. So I […]
Prophetic Voices
For Sunday, February 8, 2015, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Many Americans lived this past week without seeing or thinking about the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp at the end of World War II. CNN offered full coverage of the commemoration. Multinational leaders were present, as were religious […]
Discerning the Voice of Truth
For Sunday, February 1, 2015, 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time I have to admit that I am finding it harder and harder to pay attention to current events. The issues facing the world are increasingly complex. From global terrorism to world financial markets, every “expert” has a different opinion on what is happening and why. […]
A Climb We Can’t Make Alone
For Sunday, January 25, 2015, 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time It was one of the famous adventures in recent history: the breathtaking climb up the Dawn Wall of Yosemite’s El Capitan. Rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson spent six years planning the venture, which took them nineteen days to achieve what no one else […]
Searching for Jesus
For Sunday, January 18, 2015, 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time The search for the historical Jesus continues! The Washington Post had a report last week that a great possibility exists that the site of Jesus’ actual trial has been discovered. For centuries, archeologists, curious seekers, and people of faith have been trying to validate the […]
The Power of Baptism
For Sunday, January 11, 2015, Baptism of the Lord Baptism is powerful stuff! The act of pouring water or submerging someone in water and saying a few words, given to the early Christian community by Jesus, seems non-threatening at face value. But the implications of such an action can send ripples of disruption through the […]
Following the Star
For Sunday, January 4, 2015, Epiphany of the Lord The stockings that were hung by the chimney with care have come down and been put away for next year. Santa Claus has come and gone. Christmas presents have been unwrapped and put away or exchanged. Jingle bells have already stopped ringing in stores as after-Christmas […]