“Blessed is the one … in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalm 32:2) There is a piercing line in the parable of the prodigal son that seems to hold the key to the whole thing unfolding as beautifully as it does: we see a Jewish man, raised to steer clear of swine, tending to … READ MORE…
We are coming up on the halfway mark in our Lenten journey, and our Scripture readings aren’t letting us off the hook. God calls Moses to an impossible task; the Psalmist is dying of thirst; Paul sternly reminds the Corinthians of the deadly consequences of misbehavior; and Jesus utters a dire warning to those who … READ MORE…
Several times a week I receive emails from AARP; they cover a multitude of topics, of special interest to the over-50 crowd. This week I noticed an article about the latest crop of scams. It’s not just about rich Nigerian widows any more. There are countless cons out there, many of them relying on the … READ MORE…
On Ash Wednesday two years ago Laurel and I sat with our two-day old baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, of UCSD Medical Center up the street. This was not how we had hoped to spend our second day with Jem, who was connected to several electrodes monitoring his heart, breathing, and … READ MORE…
Jimmy Kimmel, this past week, gave us insight into Presidential Politics and religion on his late-night show. In an entertaining but revealing segment, he portrayed Jesus as a presidential candidate: Jesus the candidate read quotes from the actual US Presidential candidates. It was amusing but alarming to hear statements from both the left and the … READ MORE…
You may have seen the commercial. It portrays a loving grandmother welcoming her sweet grandbaby for a visit. But as she takes the child in her arms, suddenly the camera shows the grandmother shockingly transformed, Grimm’s Fairy Tales style, into a wolf, grinning evilly at the baby. It’s an ad for whooping cough vaccine, and … READ MORE…
It was a Saturday in January in 1908, and it was cold. Ten inches of snow lay across the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York. A handful of Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, a religious community of the Episcopal Church, gathered in the Chapel of Our Lady. Nothing was out of the … READ MORE…
A priest I know is about to retire after 44 years of ordained ministry, and he was recently reflecting on changes he’s seen in the church in those decades. “When I was at Princeton Seminary in the late 60s,” he said, “a group of us students became very interested in Greek Orthodoxy and the early … READ MORE…
A few weeks ago I saw the movie “Brooklyn”. It’s a charming story about an Irish girl who emigrates to the United States. There are some obvious parallels to my own story, and maybe that’s why I liked it so much, besides the fact that it’s a gentle story of love and loyalty, with subtle … READ MORE…
Alleluia, unto us a child is born. O come let us adore him, Alleluia. It is always a joy to see a full church, and tonight it is especially good to welcome you, whether you are a regular attender, a first-time visitor, or a returning wanderer. This is a night for welcome, for home-coming, for … READ MORE…