In Luke 2:1-20, the emperor Augustus and the governor of Quirinius, men of power, wealth, and privilege, are the backdrop of what appears to be an ordinary couple in a difficult situation: they have freshly arrived in town and Mary is great with child, about to deliver, but the inn…
Scripture: John 1:26-27 — “Standing among you – unknown to you – is the one coming after me; I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandal.” Exhortation: The one who is coming – who, as John says, “is greater than I” – the greatest of all (who…
Scripture: Mark 1:4 — “John the Baptist proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Exhortation: Baptism initiates us into a life – a way or path – of repentance. When we are baptized, we become lifelong penitents. When John baptized Jesus, the Spirit kissed him with approval and anointed…
Scripture: Mark 13:33-37 — Jesus said, “Be on your guard, stay awake … Stay awake … What I am saying to you I say to all, Stay awake!” Exhortation: In times of hopelessness or high emotions, we might give in to thinking like others. We might reach for wrong solutions; we might…
John 20: 21-22 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:1-6 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. (They were…
The Gospel lesson today is a very familiar one, from John 12:1-8: Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table…
The Gospel reading from this past Sunday came from Luke chapter 15. This chapter has stories of lost and found. These stories are very familiar to us. The pastor at the church I attend, who preached on the gospel lesson, reminded us of these three stories. He said recently that…
Totally unqualified to write on the subject and requesting your indulgence, I continue your servant council’s Lenten reflections on this year’s topic though I am pretty certain that I am the least knowledgeable in our little order and perhaps even the most unsure-footed among all of God’s followers when it…
Hi all, here’s my little reflection on discernment, one of the themes we your OEF Council discerned for this year’s Chapter. In our Chapter, we will discern who will be our next Council, among other things. We owe it to ourselves to do our discernment well, not only as our…
I come to the wilderness today wondering: Why am I here? What’s this about? Where do I go from here? What am I to do as I go from here? Or, I come wondering: Should I do this thing (right now)? Or that thing? Should I even venture into the…