Spiritual Reflections

The first reading is a timely reminder that in tough times we still have what we need, just like a deeply rooted tree planted near water, and we can effectively continue to live out our commitments to work for peace…

Isaiah 6:1-8, Luke 5:1-11 Today’s readings — the Isaiah reading and the section from Luke’s Gospel — present us with two people, Isaiah and Peter, at the very beginning of what will involve them deeply and completely for the rest…

Mary and Joseph stand before Simeon who holds and blesses their infant son. Then he turns to Mary and tells her that her heart will be pierced with a sword of sorrow. Mary ponders his words, wondering what this will…

Nehemiah 8:2-10     Corinthians 12:12-30    Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Today’s liturgical readings might best be read in the opposite order.  The third reading, the Gospel, poses a question which the second reading makes clearer and the first reading celebrates. …

About 15 years ago, my cousin married for the second time. She was 65, and the groom was 67. It was his first marriage. The wedding was relatively small — about 50 people, mostly relatives. There was a reception in…

Good morning, everyone! Before I get into the heart of today’s Gospel, I want to share something lighthearted I heard many years ago. It goes like this: In recent years we’ve heard people talk about being born again or having…

Back when I was a fairly serious gardener, my overwhelming experience of spring was promise. The apricot tree would wait to bud until after the last hard freeze; the strawberries would not taste watery from too much spring rain; the…

Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21 We just heard in the first reading about God telling Moses to instruct Aaron and his children just how to bless the people.  A wonderful blessing God speaks to Moses: “May God bless you,…

1 Samuel 1:20-28         1 John 3:1-24            Luke 2:41-52 The focus of this Sunday in Christmas week is family.  We celebrate the Holy Family and we celebrate the entire extended family of…

This evening, we begin our celebration of the incarnation, God’s choice to live in our midst in the person of Jesus. What a wonderful gift to us. But I would like to look at the incarnation from another angle. I…

“During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country, in haste, to a town of Judah, where she entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.” We have all entered the “hill country,” whether it be a hike in…

When I worked at the Zoo, I had two favorite animals I liked to use in programs because they had such cool adaptations. One was the hedgehog. Generally, a hedgehog is about the size of a hamster; it fits in…