Tuesday, June 30, 2020 | Reflections
A Sunday School teacher told me that one of the best things about The Book of Common Prayer was that even when his faith wavered, he was still able to come and join together with the church and to let the prayers cover him. He said that the moments when it was rote...
Monday, June 29, 2020 | Reflections
Jesus comes to Peter sitting by a charcoal fire, just as he was when he betrayed Jesus. And Jesus appears to him as he fishes, reminding him of his life before Jesus first called him. But Jesus points him once again away from the sea and away from the charcoal fire,...
Sunday, June 28, 2020 | Reflections
The story of the sacrifice of Isaac is one of the hardest in the Bible for me to read, especially now that I have a son of my own. The thought that God would ask Abraham to murder his son as a test is horrific. How spiritually and psychologically scarred would Abraham...
Saturday, June 27, 2020 | Reflections
What is it like to come to the end of an era? What is it like to transition from one phase of life to another? How do we give up those things that are behind us and take up the things ahead? We usually feel anxiety and fear in the face of major changes, as...
Friday, June 26, 2020 | Reflections
There is a lot of shouting in our world today. Some of it is good, but most isn’t. Far too often, we shout at one another on social media or in the news, building soundbites but not community or cooperation. We have forgotten what things we should shout for, and we...
Thursday, June 25, 2020 | Reflections
From the Archives: September 2, 1945 No one can describe fully to another what it is like to be in love. And so, when asked, one hesitates to describe it fully, lest such a personal thing be spoiled in the telling or told to one who will not….(View this reading...
Wednesday, June 24, 2020 | Reflections
When we see the words, “And you, child,” at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, it would be easy to think of Jesus, born just ten verses later. But this verse refers to John the Baptist and his ministry. “Giving knowledge of salvation” is John’s pra….(View this...
Tuesday, June 23, 2020 | Reflections
So often throughout scripture and history, God overturns our expectations. God picks those who know they need direction and refuses those who think they are already good enough. Remember the stories: When God chooses Abraham to become a great nation, he...
Monday, June 22, 2020 | Reflections
Twice in my life, I have made the pilgrimage to St. Alban’s Cathedral in England for the feast of their patron saint. Alban was the first English martyr killed for harboring a priest fleeing the Romans. There is a cost to following Jesus. But here’s the….(View...
Sunday, June 21, 2020 | Reflections
The Examen is a daily Jesuit self-examination designed to help those who practice it keep their priorities and passions in order. I have found that by praying it in the evenings, I am able to give my day over more fully to God. Praying the Examen helps me...
Saturday, June 20, 2020 | Reflections
Our faith is handed down from one generation to the next. We have a lineage that goes all the way back to Jesus, who handed it on to the apostles and sent them out. You and I are a part of that line, and it is our responsibility to hand on our faith to those who will...
Friday, June 19, 2020 | Reflections
The children of Israel have been wandering in the desert for forty long years, and they are tired. God has promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, and now they are on the precipice of attaining it. Fortified cities and strong armies stand in their way....
Thursday, June 18, 2020 | Reflections
From the Archives: May 12, 1941Yesterday, you made a great promise. In the cold light of today, you may be saying, “I’ve promised, but how can I carry it out? I’ve promised, but even so, I do not see what to do.”….(View this reading and more resources for prayer...
Wednesday, June 17, 2020 | Reflections
When I was a young acolyte, I would don an ill-fitting cassock and gather with the clergy and servers before Mass in a small sacristy. We stood in a circle and recited Psalm 43, which begins, “Give judgment for me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people....
Tuesday, June 16, 2020 | Reflections
The story of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness sounds like the most dysfunctional family trip ever. The people forget so quickly that God saved them from slavery. God gets mad and punishes them. They complain about the quality of the food—they want...
