In late June the Church celebrates the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. When I think of Peter, the person, I always experience a variety of mixed emotions. I am amused by his brashness. I am surprised by how dumb…
In A Fog
Being Ordinary
Part of the genius of the Church is the way the liturgy move and breaths with the seasons. As we transition into summer we pass the last Church feast for a while (Corpus Christi) and move into a time of rest…
The Place of Beauty
With the spotlight on the Pope drama, once again, we see the media focusing on the workings of the Church. We have all heard the dissenters. Why doesn’t that Catholic Church sell the “fancy stuff” they have? Why do they need all…
Spirit Who?
We sometimes hear this phrase in preaching and/or teaching about the Church: “The fullness of the Spirit.” For me that’s a cue to the life-changing events that set my life onto a path that I never intended. That phrase makes…
Training for the Solo Encounter
After we pass thorough Holy Week the Church shares its ultimate triumph and has done so for over two thousand years. We celebrate Easter with community, family, friends, great joy, communal meals, and tradition. Some of us attend the Tridiuum…
Who Do They Say You Are?
In the grand scheme of things have you ever taken an inventory of the way others perceive you? For a believer this is not necessarily a far-fetched idea. You might remember that Jesus did this very thing when he asked…
Endings
On the last day of 2012 the readings of the Church gave us an odd juxtaposition. The first reading from the first letter of John (2:18-19) continues the “preparation” warnings of Advent. We are cautioned, “it is the last hour.”…
Not So Obvious
The miracle of Christmas Day celebrates so many things that are familiar and comforting to us: Jesus among us, God’s generosity, peace on Earth, joy, comforting tunes, familiar traditions. Like all of the lessons of scripture, though, the occurrence of…
Big Fish / Little Fish
In the scheme of things it can sometimes be too easy to become unaware of our proper place in the world. We focus on our own career, family, hobbies, and personal responsibilities. That’s enough to draw anyone’s full time attention,…
Lucky Job
It seems all to easy to claim camaraderie with Job. I even had a friend who would weep openly at all his troubles and tell me that only thing that gave him comfort was when he thought about Job and…