If You Want Peace, Work for Justice

In preparing for my upcoming sermon for the last Sunday in Advent,  I came across the 1972 address of Pope Paul VI given on the World Day for Peace. You may have heard the phrase, “If you want peace, work for justice”; the phrase was coined in this speech. Particularly on the Sunday during which … READ MORE…

Showers of blessing update (with photos!)

Dear Friends,  What an amazingly beautiful morning! Today, very early on, I gave Colin a bad time because (well, because I always give Colin a bad time) I thought he was being Pollyannaish when he declared very early, “This is the best Showers yet!” And I’m not going to admit this to him so, Colin, … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Gun Violence and Human Beauty

Heidi Neumark is a Lutheran pastor and writer who says she loves Advent because it is a season that reflects how she feels much of the time. As we anticipate and reflect on the coming of Christ on so many levels — in the nativity, in our hearts, in a future completion of all creation … READ MORE…

In the Bleak Midwinter

Robert Heylmun shares this essay from 2006.  It isn’t mid-winter actually. In fact winter only began yesterday but already the nation is up to its uh… self in snow or rain water or fog or a combination of these. Even here in San Diego we awoke to leaden skies and rain in parts of the … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Yearning for Jesus

 Every year I look forward to the Sundays in Advent when we are confronted by John the Baptist, the wild man of the New Testament. There’s something refreshingly unvarnished about John, with his camel-skin coat and his tent-revival preaching. Of all the Gospel writers, Luke tells us the most about John, filling in the miraculous … READ MORE…

A second chance for the Gift Expo!

The Alternative Gift EXPO was enjoyed by many on Nov. 22! Sorry if you missed it, but you have another chance – a Mini-EXPO following the Mananitas for the Virgin of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.  Service at 6, EXPO 7-8:30 (along with Fiesta!). All of this is a great way to connect with our Misa … READ MORE…

The Sunday Sermon: Advent’s Fragile Flame

I invite you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in a room in your house at night. Do whatever you can to make it as dark as possible — shut the door, close the curtains tightly — and now light a match. Watch its flaring flame, its flickering dance along the walls, and its … READ MORE…

Join us for December Nights!

St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral welcomes all and is pleased to participate in Balboa Park’s December Nights on Dec 4th and 5th for the second year by festively lighting the campus and opening its doors for tours from 5-9 pm. There will be a creche display in the Chapel, a festival of trees and Deedra’s Holiday … READ MORE…

The Thanksgiving Sermon: Observe without ceasing

I was in high school when it was suggested that I should have my eyes tested for glasses. The doctor told me that I was near sighted. Not only that, I also have astigmatism. That means that things far away were not only blurry, there were two of them. So I got my first pair … READ MORE…