God really likes surprises. In 1951 when 15 of my 36 novitiate classmates and I gathered for the first time at lunch in the guest house, which is now Knobs Haven, some of us decided that Sister Antoinette would one…
Sometimes I think the “Jews,” who in John’s Gospel passage for today refers to the religious leaders, get a bad rap. Let’s pretend for a few minutes. Suppose Aiden Miles, a new employee in the dining room, were to ask…
Today’s focus is on faith and courage. We need both. There are two miracles in Mark’s Gospel for today, two of four that explore the power of Jesus during this visit to the Sea of Galilee. Last week we heard…
A gypsy man stopped at a well in a town square for a drink. After he drank he continued gazing into the well as if he was looking down at someone at the bottom of the well. A little boy…
Growing up, I remember vines loaded with morning glories popping up every spring along the fence on the front of our property. No one ever did anything to care for them. They had been planted long before I was born…
There are some lessons to be learned from the man blind from birth. His healing allows us to look at both the physical aspects of light in relation to sight, and spiritual insight as enlightenment, another form of vision that…
Hansen’s Disease is a frightening, painful disease that for centuries was only cured by death. It is highly contagious, which as you know, fostered isolation and fear of anyone who might have contracted it. The Hebrew laws forbade lepers to…
If I saw John the Baptist walking up the driveway today, I would very likely alert the campus to go on full lockdown. As I thought about him, I wondered if he would have drawn crowds of people in his…
“Render unto God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” As a child I remember thinking about God as an old man – a grandfather though I didn’t know any of my grandfathers – with a long beard…
Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” For once in his life, Peter got it right. Peter is an interesting character study. He is…
This has always been a special day for me. I had the privilege of visiting Mount Tabor, the very place where this event took place. It is a fairly high mountain; the bus could not go all the way. We…
On this Trinity Sunday, one thing is certain: I am not going to explain the mystery of the Trinity. Scholars have worked on that for years. In one way, it doesn’t seem so mysterious to me. It is God manifesting…