At my home parish, on Palm Sunday we usually divvy up the parts in the Passion narrative from Matthew. It is a long reading — almost two chapters — and it keeps everyone engaged far more than listening to a lay reader drone on for 10 minutes. Each part in the Passion is assigned to … Continue reading Playing the part of Judas
Bible study
Sometimes we must withdraw to advance
How do we advance when everything tells us to withdraw? For an answer, I turn to an unlikely source for a faith-based reflection — the rough and salty U.S. Marine Corps General Oliver Smith. Gen. Smith was one of the commanding generals of Allied forces during the Korean War. Very early in the war Smith’s … Continue reading Sometimes we must withdraw to advance
Dying to our little grains of wheat
This day, Tuesday in Holy Week, is easily overlooked in the journey of Holy Week. Palm Sunday. Maundy Thursday. Good Friday. Holy Saturday. These all have easily recognizable markers in the path of Jesus from earthly ministry to resurrected Lord. But, this Tuesday, this third day in Holy Week, is essential to us, and to … Continue reading Dying to our little grains of wheat
The question we cannot escape: “Do you believe this?”
Do you remember those WWJD bracelets everyone was wearing around in the early- to mid-2000s? “What Would Jesus Do?” It’s an important question. But, perhaps a better question is: What would we do? What would we do if we encountered the resurrected Lord? If we really saw, face-to-face, His power in this world? Our reading … Continue reading The question we cannot escape: “Do you believe this?”
Faith in the furnace
How do we live when we are surrounded by the fires of life? I don’t mean “How do we survive?” Each of us will die. How and when is in God’s loving hands. What I mean is, “How do we live?” How do we face the fires and storms of this life? And how do … Continue reading Faith in the furnace
The roles we play
In my sophomore year of high school I tried out for the play “Up the Down Staircase,” by Christopher Sergel, based on the book by Bel Kaufman. I did not expect much from the casting. In my high school years I was, to put it mildly, uptight. Straight-laced. Prudish. Moralistic. Narrow-minded. Stick in the mud. … Continue reading The roles we play
“Memento mori” — Finding life in the valley of bones
During this season of Lent, many of you may still be doing your taxes, or maybe recently finished your taxes. And, we often quip that taxes — our paying what is due to Caesar — is one of the two great certainties in this life. The other, of course, is death. For many — perhaps … Continue reading “Memento mori” — Finding life in the valley of bones
Surrender to the river
When I was a child of about seven years old, my family drove from our home in Delaware to Dallas, Texas for a conference my father was involved in. It was the first time in my life I'd seen the Mississippi. My dad woke me, my brother and sister up — we were all asleep, … Continue reading Surrender to the river
There are no shortcuts to the Kingdom
It’s never a good idea when I try to take a shortcut in the car. At some point in the late 1990s, when driving from Newport, R.I. to Delaware, I was certain I had a good shortcut to shave some time off my trip. Somehow, I ended up driving through Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan … Continue reading There are no shortcuts to the Kingdom
Life with God isn’t in the rear view mirror
There’s a great scene — it may be the only good scene — in the 1976 comedy “The Gumball Rally,” about an illegal coast-to-coast car race. Italian race car driver Franco, played by Raul Julia, tells his racing partner (in a horribly exaggerated Italian accent): “And now my friend, the first-a rule of Italian driving.” … Continue reading Life with God isn’t in the rear view mirror
Turning the world upside down with forgiveness
How often should we forgive? And, how much should we forgive? This is one of the toughest questions of Christianity. Everything about our culture and human instinct tells us to get even — to exact revenge for any wrong done to us. But, then, we aspire to follow a Messiah who demands we set aside … Continue reading Turning the world upside down with forgiveness
Humility and the power of the servant girl
When you think of finding ultimate wisdom, the meaning of life, the path to inner peace — pick your euphemism — there is a beyond-cliche image that comes to mind, and that gets played out over and over in movies, spoofs and marketing: the seeker makes an arduous climb, at risk of life and limb, … Continue reading Humility and the power of the servant girl
Following the woman at the well
You do not have to look far to see people living in isolation in our society. During the current coronavirus pandemic, millions are living in self-imposed or mandated isolation, to stem the spread of the virus. This has fundamentally changed the way our society lives, works and worships. But, you don’t need a pandemic to … Continue reading Following the woman at the well
Be present, and let God speak
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is … Continue reading Be present, and let God speak
Let our prayers be the megaphone of God
“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Those words from C. S. Lewis highlight an important aspect of prayer life for most of us (I know, at least in my past, it's been the case for me): We … Continue reading Let our prayers be the megaphone of God
