Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27 Lk 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Me and my Cell Phone The other day I was at a funeral. At the beginning of the liturgy an announcement was ma...
Is. 62:1-5 1Cor. 12:4-11 Jn. 2:1-11. Hidden Gifts This past week I have had an opportunity to return to my old stomping grounds. I saw lots of people who were a formative part of m...
Is 60:1-6 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12 Pregnant Dreams I am one of those people who have dreams that are very vivid. I can tell you about dreams that I had years ago. Sometimes my dre...
Lk 2:41-52 Hanging out at the Temple I can hear my dad say to one of my endless questions that began with “why…?” “Because I said so” I never found th...
Is 52:7-10 Heb 1:1-6 Jn 1:18 or 1:1-5, 9-14. Advent Tools and Christmas Light This week I was torn between writing something for the 4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas which was an...
Zep 3:14-18a Phil 4:4-7 Lk. 3:10-18 The Peace that Surpasses All The 17th of December’s readings gave me a lot to think about. However, the reading that really snuck into my ...
Bar 5:1-9 Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 Lk. 3:1-6 A Timeless Message The Second week of Advent has come and gone. I was on call for my hospice and each day was full of folks who were getting re...
Jer. 33:14-16 1 Thes. 3:12-4:2 Lk. 21:25-28, 34-36 Barren Branches I love this time of year when I can see the bare branches against the sunset. I love the shapes and the curves of...
Dn 7:13-14 Rev 1:5-8 Jn 18:33b-37 Thanksgiving 1970 As the grow-ups gathered in various rooms my sister and I created with the help of our friends a replica of the first Thanksgivi...
Dn 12:1-3 Heb 10:11-14, 18 Mk 13:24-32 This Little Light of Mine This week’s readings are full of the end times’ readings we get at this time in the church year. I was ...
1 Kgs 17:10-16 Heb 9:24-28 Mk 12:38-44 or 12:41-44 Enough Oil in my Jug I was sitting quietly, trying to slow my very full brain, trying to empty out a little bit before the liturg...
Dt 6:2-6 Heb 7:23-28 Mk 12:28b-34 Land of Milk and Honey How often do we think about words of commitment: I promise you in sickness and in health; I vow to you my sisters and broth...
Jer 31:7-9 Heb 5:1-6 Mk 10:46-52 The Remnant Hearing and reading the scripture from the Sunday of October 29th, I find myself wondering how long will it be until we experience the ...
Is 53:10-11 Heb 4:14-16 Mk 10:35-45 Can You Hear Me Now, Can You See Me Now? Tonight I am sitting and stewing over a work related issue. It happens to be something that can happen ...
Wis 7:7-11 Heb 4:12-13 Mk 10: 17-27 Grant me the Serenity In the readings from the 15th of October, we are invited to consider what is important in our lives as we seek to find the...
Gen 2:18-24 Heb 2:9-11 Mk 10: 2-12 The Path of Love The readings from the Sunday of October 8th are often used at weddings. It is so easy to be at a wedding and space out when thes...
Num 11:25-29 Jas 5:1-6 Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Do You Have a Light? I saw the man as I was pulling into the parking lot. I saw him moving from car to car and felt myself getting a li...
Wis. 2:12, 17-20 Jas 3:16-4:3 Mk 9:30-37 Just the Right Seat I arrived to church a little early two weeks ago. It was tough because I was still on my vacation routine and it took a...
Is 50:5-9a Jas 2:14-18 Mk 8:27-35 Global Village I have been aware lately of how very blessed my life is. I have all of my basic needs met and have several of my wants covered as w...
Is 35:4-7a Jas 2:1-5 Mk 7 :31-37 The Good Life As a hospice chaplain, I am often asked to sit with a loved one who is dying. One night I sat with a 96 year old woman, as she breath...
Dt 4:1-2, 6-8 Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27 Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Old Movies Last night I watched very old family movies. It was amazing to see my parents as young adults in their late ...
To Whom Shall We Go? I’m trying to put myself in the shoes, I mean sandals of the disciples in the gospel reading from John 6:60-69 for the Sunday of August 27th. Jesus’...
1 Kgs 19:4-8 Eph 4:30-5:2 Jn 6:41-51 Ready or not, Here I Am Last weekend I sat with my monthly spirituality group to discuss the concept of discernment in our lives. As we were gu...
Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 2 Pt 1:16-19 Mk 9:2-10 In the Eyes of the Beholder In the gospel of Mark 9:2-10 we join the disciples Peter, James, and John as they wander up the mountain with Je...
Ex 24:3-8 Heb 9:11-15 Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 With the Grace of God On Sunday the 18th we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. As I thought about this hol...
Dt 4:32-34, 39-40 Rom 8:14-17 Mt 28:16-20 Emily Marie Today at our celebration of the Holy Trinity, little Emily Marie was baptized. She was beautiful. Just before the water was po...
Acts 2:1-11 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15 Seeds of Pentecost? I was awed by the response of people to 911 and the 2005 hurricane tragedies. Through new accounts and te...
Acts 1:1-11 Eph 1:17-23 Mk 16:15-20 The Call Today At our parish this past Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension. As I listened to the readings, I wondered how years pass...
Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 1 Jn 4:7-10 Jn 15:9-17 Sagging Vines This past week I was full of business. The embarrassing fact about last week was that my life was full with workshops talking...
Acts 4:8-12 1 Jn 3:1-2 Jn 10:11-18 The Invitation In Sunday’s reading, Jesus talks to us about the Good Shepherd. He lays out for us the traits that set the good shepherd apa...
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 1 Jn 2:1-5a Lk 24:35-48 Taking Time to Water The last ten days a group of friends have been helping us bring color and softness to our zeroscape landscaping. Ze...
Acts 4:32-35 1Jn 5:1-6 Jn 20:19-31 What if Peace? Each of the readings from the Second Sunday of Easter is so rich, so powerful, and so very encouraging. However, the reading which...
Arms Empty for Miracles On this Easter Sunday I found myself watching people going up for communion and smaller children in line to receive a blessing. The children going up for a ...
Reading myself into Holy Week On Palm Sunday as I listened to the long gospel reading I tried a new way of listening and being present. I decided that I would allow myself to imagi...
Jer 31:31-34 Heb 5:7-9 Jn 12:20-33 Heart Walking The first couple of months after I moved here I found myself church shopping. I know technically we have a geographic area and in a...
Someday maybe… Today I visited a number of people who described their lives as active and vital until recently; recently measured anywhere from 3 months to four years. As I l...
Ex 17:3-7 Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 Jn 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42 Thirst hidden in the Rock I am one of those people who have spent more years of my life on a diet than not. Perhaps...
Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 Rom 8:31b-34 Mk 9:2-10 Backwards up the Mountain I recently had an opportunity to climb up a mountain with a patient…only I walked backward up the...
Gn 9:8-15 1 Pt 3:18-22 Mk 1:12-15 Parking for Ashes The other night I went to our local parish for Ash Wednesday. This might be a slight exaggeration, but truly I think that every ...
Hos 2:16b, 17b, 21-22 2 Cor 3:1b-6 Mk 2:18-22 Desert Wineskins Seven months ago, I moved from my known and beloved Midwest to the Southwest. Everything about my new land is differe...
Is.43:18-19, 21-22, 24-25 2Cor. 1:18-22 Mk. 2: 1-12 I Make All Things New For a long time I held tightly in my fist angry stories about my Dad. I felt self righteous about my anger...
Me and Them As a child and growing into adulthood, I too, learned ways to feel safe from others who were different than me. I would talk about “those” people with their...
Harden not your Hearts Today at church I watched a man try to stand up at the end of the liturgy. It was clear from his effort that he was determined to get up all by himself and w...
Preaching the Good News St. Francis told his disciples, “Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words.” Whenever, I hear a gospel like today’s I am remi...
Spaghetti and More When I was growing up, the sixth of seven children, we ate on normal days in the kitchen for our meals. We had two long benches and my parents sat at both ends o...
Here I Am When I was little I always had both a night light on and the door open. Closing my eyes at night seemed like a great vulnerability, especially as a child and teen who bel...
Spring’s Winter The other day as Hannah, my black lab, and I went for a walk, I was struck by the beauty of spring going head to head with the sharp breeze of winter reminder...
First Holy Communion This past Sunday I found myself wrapped in a blanket of memories as I watched my eight year old niece receive her First Holy Communion. The First Holy Communio...
Easter’s Light Easter Sunday, it has arrived. Last night as the fire was brought to full beauty outside the church and the Easter candle was blessed, we watched a beautiful f...
Who Do You Say that I Am? The gospels the last couple of weeks remind me of Jesus’ question, “And who do you say that I am?” This lent I have been challenged by t...
Lost in Ordinary Events I was last heard from reflecting on the power of Sabbath resting, since then I have been missing in action…well really I wasn’t missing in actio...
Sabbath I am on vacation these days…today is the Sabbath. The time set aside to rest, to pause, to be aware of the bigness of God. Usually, it is a day filled with church in ...
From Inside Out On Tuesday, I gave a retreat morning to some chaplains in another city. The focus of the morning was “Self care: Presence and Passion.” The focus of the...
No Fail Recipe About twenty years ago I lived with three religious sisters, all of whom were at least twenty-five years older than me. Although I had learned to cook growing up and...
The Kingdom of God is at Hand I was the on call chaplain for 24 hours beginning Christmas Eve at 8:00 a.m. and finishing 24 hours later. It was a busy day, lots of folks happy to s...
Like Smoke Rising These days have been very cold, very cold. About fifty feet from the hospital (where I work) is a glass shelter. In the shelter there is one long bench, some kind...
An Epiphany I moved to a totally new geographic area this past June. After living in the Midwest for a majority of my life, I chose to move to the Southwest. In contrast to my form...
“Mom, how does God make pop?” The other day as I was returning from my hospital unit, I heard a young child ask his mom, “Mom, how does God make pop?” Unfor...
From the seat of a Wheel Chair I went back to work this past Monday for the first time since November 15th. As noted in a previous entry I had simple foot surgery on the 16th.This ...
Being Present Every seven to twelve days I have an opportunity to pause for a moment and think about an experience that has taught me something about being a disciple seeking to le...
