Saturday after Epiphany
In these days of the digital revolution in which new technologies (dare I mention AI) come and go, shift and change, transform and re-align our lives on what feels like a daily basis, it’s fun to think about the time of Jesus when writing was a relatively new technology—just about 500 years old. And, in its youth, Greek writing didn’t bother to separate words, never mind include a comma. What this means for translators of our sacred scripture is that they have to figure out where the breaks and punctuation should go, so that we don’t have to work so hard to make sense of it.
That being the case, consider the closing sentence of the reading from John’s Gospel for today: “He must increase; I must decrease.”
Friday After Epiphany
My young adult son recently went on an adventurous camping trip with friends in Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas. Desert and mountains in a fairly remote area, they had the somewhat rare experience of being outside of cell service much of the time. Although less concerned about his safety than if he had been alone, I was thankful he was able to be in touch with us on a daily basis. I was also thankful he could have a mostly “off the grid” experience in nature.
Thursday After Epiphany
Today’s readings highlight the concept that the Bible is a gathering of many stories in order to tell one central story- God loves us and invites us to love in return. When we listen with open hearts, we can understand and experience this love story that has no end. God’s love then impels us to go forth and do the same.
Wednesday After Epiphany
In the prayerful reading of scripture called lectio divina, we are invited to pause when a word or phrase speaks to us. Pause and ponder. “Beloved.” We might easily move past this word, but it catches me almost every time. Beloved. This simple word is used six times in the short first letter of John. Six times, John addresses us, “beloved.” Pause and let that soak in. We are God’s beloved. Yes, you and I, each of us, and in a special way as the body of Christ here on earth, all of us together are the Beloved of God.
Tuesday after Epiphany
The mountains shall yield peace for the people…justice will flower (Psalm 72)
Today’s Scriptures offer the post-Christmas promise of its mysteries flowering and bearing fruits in our lives with peace and justice, and faith in action. It is a good day to reflect back on what of the Christmas Scriptures and stories have touched us and what do we wish to carry forth? We can especially reflect on St. Joseph’s faithful yes to dreams and his steadfast companionship of Mary and the vulnerable child Jesus through the eyes of Saint André of Montreal (1845 - 1937), this North American saint, deeply devoted to St. Joseph - his trusted friend and guide - that the global church remembers today.
Memorial of St. John Neumann, Bishop
A friend of mine used to get a serious case of the Christmas blues. January 2 brought on the hardest time of the year, as she considered New Years the end of “the holidays.” A few Januarys ago she decided to stop fighting it and, as she put it, allow the season to fade away naturally. Try as she might, she couldn’t shake it. Christmas (for her anyway) was over and in the midwest all we had to look forward to were months of the chill and ice and the dread of winter.
Christmas Weekday
Our Gospel today continues the story of John the Baptist and his ministry as prophet and witness to our Lord Jesus Christ. We read, “The next day he [John] saw Jesus coming toward him . . .” And then we receive John’s stunning words, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” I wonder if you’ve ever stopped to fully consider the eternal significance of this earth-shattering statement and its implications for you, personally, as well as for all of humanity.
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Today is the feast day for two theologians, Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus. The two were friends, along with Basil’s brother Gregory of Nyssa (whose feast day we observe on March 9th). These are saints that are more familiar to our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters, but they are very important for both Eastern and Western Christianity. Saints Basil and Gregory are particularly remembered for the ways they helped develop Trinitarian doctrine so that we could understand it better.
Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord
It was the time of day that determined when blessings and prayers were offered in the synagogues of the first century. Today, we hear that same beautiful “priestly” blessing (from Numbers) which began and ended each day:
The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace.
The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
The ancient desert fathers and mothers were known for their wisdom. Christians desiring to deepen their relationship with Christ would seek them out. “Give me a word,” they would ask the abba or amma. This word would be a small piece of scripture, sometimes just a phrase, to ponder for years or more. The word was chosen specifically for each individual seeker.
The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
As I reflect on today’s readings, I find myself thinking about Anna the prophetess, who was in the Temple during Jesus’ presentation. She is mentioned in only one brief paragraph in the entire Bible, yet there is so much packed into it. We learn that she was from the tribe of Asher and had been widowed at a young age. Afterward, she seemingly went to live in the Temple, praying day and night and never leaving. We do not really know how she came to be there, what her life was like before, why she chose never to leave, or whether other widows did the same. Yet the Gospel writer chose to include her in the story of Jesus. Why?
The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
T.S. Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral” tells of the Archbishop of Canterbury's (Thomas Becket, 1120-1170) defiance of the King (Henry II) as an example in the ongoing tension between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the world, between the things that are God’s and those which are Caesar’s. It is not simply an accident that three martyrs' feasts (Stephen, the Holy Innocents, and Becket) are kept as the first feasts of the Christmas season. Even the vesture of the church startlingly transforms from the celebratory white/gold of the coming of Christ, who is all, to a martyr's blood red who gave all.
Yesterday was the feast of the Holy Innocents, a timely reminder that the innocent throughout time have suffered at the hands of worldly powers. The ultimate innocent victim is, of course, the crucified Christ. But the Holy Innocents serve as prophets of the doom that eventually awaited the Christ Child on the Mount of Doom we call Golgotha.
Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
Growing up unchurched and trying to figure out the Bible on my own (perhaps not the best plan), I was super envious of the people who knew Jesus when he was alive. That includes the disciples, of course, but goes well beyond them to anyone who knew him at the time.
Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr
Just yesterday we were celebrating the birth of Christ and today the church celebrates the feast of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. While we still have our hearts and minds on the birth of Jesus, we are asked to also take a look at a man, a disciple, who gave his life for this very Jesus.
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
It is the greatest love story – the story of Christmas. There is a God. There is humanity. And there is a little child. As the gospel says, “For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord” (Lk 2:11).
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Many years ago, as a campus minister, I accompanied students on a spring break experience to the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Native American Reservations in South Dakota. We had heard how beautiful the sunsets were over the lake, and we committed ourselves to going one night. We quickly finished the dishes, loaded into our van, and rushed to see the sunset. We stood in silent awe together. The sun slowly descended. The sky changed colors. Minutes after the sun had descended beyond the horizon, someone broke the silence, “We all agree the sun has set, yes?” In fact, there was disagreement; the sky was still gorgeous, but the sun itself was no longer in view. When is sunset over? It is not as clear as you might think!
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
This last full day of the Advent season tells the wondrous story of the birth and naming of John the Baptist. We are reminded that John’s Father, Zechariah, had been rendered speechless for his wife Elizabeth’s entire pregnancy because he doubted God’s promise. Though Elizabeth’s time with Mary assists her trust in the story, the extended relatives do not believe her sense of the boy’s name and role, so they turn to the father. It is only after Zechariah states the baby’s name will be John (a radical choice to his relatives, since it’s not continuing a family name, but rather acknowledging the angel messenger), that he can speak again and words of praise and gratitude will flow! We, like their family are called to wonder at the great deeds God has done and is doing!
Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Today’s “O Antiphon” is O Rex Gentium, “O King of the nations.” This is the seventh verse of the 9th century hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel: O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of humankind; O bid our sad divisions cease, and be for us our King of Peace.”
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
I’ll admit that I feel a bit intimidated approaching Luke’s Gospel today because it famously recounts the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. I guess we might all feel small as we’re confronted with this awesome visitation and work of God in a humble young woman. I encourage you to spend time slowly reading, contemplating, praying with and meditating upon this text today. Allow the Lord to speak a fresh word to you from his Word. For this reflection, I’ve chosen to focus our attention on Gabriel’s words, “Do not be afraid, Mary . . .” May God give us comfort, assurance, and hope today as we place our trust in him.
Friday of the Third Week of Advent
There are a number of instances in the Bible where elderly women who never bore a child were, through God’s grace, blessed with a child. In today’s first reading, it is revealed that the wife of Manoah is sterile. In the ancient world, this was considered a great curse for a married woman, often leading her to be outcasted by society. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to her. She heard the wonderful words, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son.” Although the woman may have been initially scared by the angel, she was moved by her faith and when the child was born, she named him Samson. This son, who would be dedicated to God, had a special role to play. “The boy grew up and the Lord blessed him; the Spirit of the Lord stirred him.”