Lent

Preparing for Penance

Take a breath. The holidays and Holy Days are behind us. St. Francis’ Day, Halloween, All Saint’s Day, All the Faithful Departed, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the coming of the Wise Men, the Baptism of our Lord, and the Epiphany. We’re now in Ordinary Time. The English name is...

Fragrance Poured Out

Year C Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b-14 John 12:1-8 May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… Today’s Gospel is a strange story indeed…  today’s narrative doesn’t unfold in a strictly linear way…  you’ve got to read it all the way through…  and then read it again…  to be able to say…  Oh…  so...

How Can We Not Rejoice?

Year C Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm 32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… We’ve all heard this parable before…  at least I think so…  and depending on who’s preached on it…  some of this may not be news…  though as you’ll see…  it all remains Good News…  but...

Sowing, Reaping, and More

Year C Exodus 3:1-15 Psalm 63:1-8 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9 May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… The story of Moses and the Burning Bush…  fascinated me as a child…  it was one of the Bible stories we came back to again and again in Hebrew and Sunday School…  the idea that something...

More Than Meets the Eye

Year C Genesis 15:1-12,17-18 Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1 Luke 13:31-35 May the words of my mouth O God…  speak your truth… Things seem tenuous. They seemed tenuous to Abram too…  it had been years since God promised to make of him a great nation…  and he continued childless…  and he wondered…  would the heir of his house be...