Spiritual Reflections

The God I grew up with is not the God I know now, and I suspect the same is truefor all of you. My first year of teaching high school students, Sister Matthew Marielooked at my transcript and saw that…

This year especially, I think Pentecost is a celebration of unity and community. When I read these readings for Pentecost this year, certain phrases struck me in a very different way because of the COVID-19 pandemic environment. The first line…

Years ago, my brother renovated his basement, and since I am a born scavenger, I became heir to his leftover plywood. Coincidentally, that same summer, Helen Jean, Betty McGrath, Eileen Kersgieter and I took a little vacation to Wisconsin Dells.…

When I first looked through the readings for these weeks after Easter, I was very surprised to find myself feeling almost flooded with love: Love seemed to be everywhere!!  Of course, many of the readings are taken from  the writings of John,…

Acts 9:26-31, I John 3:18-24, John 15:1-8 This Gospel reading is so familiar to us: “The vine and the branches, I am the vine and you are the branches.” Jesus did not make up the image, of course. Jesus, as…

Good Shepherd Sunday? Foundation Day? Commitment Ceremony? The “Fiat” statue! Where to start?  One of the Communion services we use begins in this way: “We have been chosen by the Holy One to be in a covenant of love and…

Acts 3:13-19    1 John 2:1-5    Luke 24:35-48 Sometimes thoughts and prayers just don’t come together to make a good homily. Today is one of those days. After a strong start, what I have to offer are just a few hints and fragments.…

There is richness to ponder in statements in today’s readings. In the Acts of the Apostles, “The community of believers was of one heart and mind.” “With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” In…

“And.”  A…N…D… That’s the most important word to remember from my reflections this evening.  With God, what looks like an ending is always followed by “and.”  We see that truth in the broad strokes of God’s presence throughout history as…

Isaiah 50:4-7, Phil. 2:6-11, Mark 11:1-10 The story of that first Palm Sunday as told by Mark would have made for good optics. If CNN had been there, the news team helicopters might have filmed two processions entering Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate…

Jeremiah 31:31-34        Hebrews 5:7-9        John 12:20-33 Happy springtime to all of you!   Have you ever thought what it would be like if Lent, Holy Week and Easter occurred in the fall instead of the…

  John 9: 1-41 In today’s Gospel, the scene is Jesus restoring sight to a man born blind — at which point Jesus makes this announcement: “As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.” …That’s what I want to reflect…