The death of Antonin Scalia last Saturday almost immediately spawned a political argument about his replacement. The clichéd phrase of his not being cold before the vultures arrived is, like many clichés, exactly apt. During their debate the Republican candidates universally agreed that President Obama ought to forego putting a name before ‘their’ Senate for … READ MORE…
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…
That’s part of the Prayers of the People that the Intercessor bids us remember as we observe ourselves as community and pray for everyone in it. We then leave it to God to take care of “those who are alone”, our duty done by mentioning them in the morning’s prayers, giving rise to our satisfaction … READ MORE…
John Steinbeck opens his novel by telling us that Cannery Row in Monterey, California, is “a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.” By the time I first saw it in 1964, Cannery Row had retained much of Steinbeck’s attributes, if that’s what they … READ MORE…
The Fall “Then the Lord God said, ‘See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil…’” – Genesis 3:22 It began with an act of disobedience. The man, now no longer innocent, knows the difference between good and evil and can exalt his ego by an exercise of will, by making … READ MORE…
I’ve lived in California for most of my life, having arrived here in 1965 thanks to the random wisdom of the US Navy. First Monterey then San Diego then Laguna Beach and back to San Diego. But it’s mornings like this one—drizzling, overcast, a bit chilly, calling for a jacket—ones that often dawned in Monterey, … READ MORE…
Today’s liturgy felt transformational. Celebrating Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist together, listening to the witness of our partners in mission from St. Luke’s, renewing baptismal vows – Wow! Thank God for the verdant-green-vested priests and deacons whose palpable depth of conviction and strength of presence reminded me of grass and the vitality of earth, humus … READ MORE…
Cathedral member Jonathan Widener writes, My minister in Chicago just posted the words to this little-known hymn as they sang it in a march tonight in Chicago. She mentioned how she wept as her parishioners all held hands, walking for peace and justice. As my friends in Chicago and New York converge on streets and … READ MORE…
There’s no way to avoid it. This Sunday, our Gospel reading proclaims the Greatest Commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” followed by a second commandment which is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the … READ MORE…
There aren’t many times in my life when I feel lonely; at least, that’s what I tell myself more than I once did. Since I live alone without even so much as a renting roommate, I’ve become acquainted with being alone a lot of the time. But loneliness is another issue. It often happens on … READ MORE…