Forward Day By Day – November 7, 2019

No one looks forward to being evaluated by the boss, whether in a formal annual process or something more casual. There is an element of fear that comes with having our performance judged, even if we have reason to be confident in our competencies.The Church...

Forward Day By Day – November 6, 2019

Nehemiah was one of the leaders of a group of Jews returning to their ancestral home after having survived the Babylonian captivity. He was in charge of restoring the physical and spiritual infrastructure of Jewish life in Jerusalem.Nehemiah’s work...

Forward Day By Day – November 5, 2019

Why was the joy of Jerusalem heard across the countryside? This joy was the voice of exuberant celebratory singing. Nehemiah had led a massive construction project—rebuilding the wall around the city—following the return of the exiled children of Israel from bondage...

Forward Day By Day – November 4, 2019

I’ll never forget an outdoor advertisement I saw some decades ago: “I tasted escargot twice. Once going down.” For many, the taste of cooked snails is a bitter one. Saint John the Revelator has just witnessed an utterly astonishing scene: a truly massive angel...

Forward Day By Day – November 3, 2019

Anxiety is a natural and unavoidable emotion. So, we might wonder if Jesus is guilting us about our feelings. I think not. When Jesus talks about people who are anxious about food or clothing, he’s not necessarily indicating ill-fed or ill-clad people but perhaps the...

Forward Day By Day – November 2, 2019

Images frequently show people who have departed this life cartoonishly walking on clouds and holding harps, with halos hovering above their heads and wings attached to their shoulders. Each of these details has a loose connection somewhere in the Christian...

Forward Day By Day – November 1, 2019

On this principal feast of All Saints, we remember and honor those whose witness to Christ and to the gospel was writ large, of heroic proportions. These are souls that have been purified and made holy and reside in the unfiltered presence of God. It is not without...