This week’s SPIRIT is about caring for others, being a caregiver and showing compassion for those around us. Whether we care for an elderly person, a child, or someone with a disability, people have remarkable ways of living that can inspire us. Someone’s capacity for strength and resilience can teach us how to approach each […]
Music and the Gospel: “Smile,” Sidewalk Prophets Read More »
Gospel Reflection for December 15, 2019, 3rd Sunday of Advent Sunday Readings: Isaiah 35.1-6,10; James 5.7-10; Matthew 11.2-11 In his ministry Jesus is not hacking dead branches off the family tree of Israel nor winnowing hypocrites from among repentant sinners as John expected he would. Jesus is so different from the axe-wielding, chaff-winnowing judge that
Gospel Reflection for December 15, 2019, 3rd Sunday of Advent Read More »
This week SPIRIT focuses on open-mindedness and communication, on discovering what we can find in common with people who hold different beliefs, come from different cultures, and have life experiences unlike our own. We live in a global world with social media and the Internet at our fingertips. We need to learn how to build bridges between
Music and the Gospel: “Everyday Life,” Coldplay Read More »
Gospel Reflection for December 8, 2019, 2nd Sunday of Advent Sunday Readings: Isaiah 2.1-5; Romans 13.11-14; Matthew 23.37-44 Ours are not the only troubled times. The prophet Isaiah describes in Sunday’s first reading an ideal king and a peaceable kin*dom. Small wonder, Isaiah lives in the years following the Assyria army’s destruction of the northern
Gospel Reflection for December 8, 2019, 2nd Sunday of Advent Read More »
The holidays pull us in many directions. Sometimes we don’t recognize the people most important to us—those who love us, shelter us, feed us—until something forces us to slow down. Waiting can give us time to remember what and who we count on and how fortunate we really are. Chris Janson’s song “Good Vibes” is
Music and the Gospel: “Good Vibes,” Chris Janson Read More »
Resentment and anger are powerful emotions that can lead us to lose control and say or do things we don’t mean. These feelings can lead us to inflict our own pain on someone else, can make us push away those we love, and resent those who seem to “have it all.” On the other hand,
Music and the Gospel: “Lose Control,” Meduza, ft. Becky Hill & Goodboys Read More »
Sunday Readings: Isaiah 2.1-5; Romans 13.11-14; Matthew 23.37-44 “Be sure of this: If the owner of the house knew when the thief was coming he or she would keep a watchful eye and not allow the house to be broken into. You must be prepared in the same way. The Son of Man is coming
Gospel Reflection for December 1, 2019, 1st Sunday of Advent Read More »
Sunday Readings: 2 Samuel 5.1-3; Colossians 1.12-20; Luke 23.35-43 Jesus was crucified with two criminals. One reviled Jesus, saying, “Aren’t you the messiah? Then save yourself and us.” The other criminal rebuked the first, saying, “Don’t you even fear God? … This man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your
Gospel Reflection for November 24, 2019, Feast of Christ the King Read More »
This week’s SPIRIT theme is about taking responsibility for the consequences that can result when we make hurtful decisions and break our promises. Sometimes we make risky decisions. I don’t need to study for a test. I stay out a little later than I tell my parents. One drink at a party won’t hurt anything.
Music and the Gospel: “Let You Down,” NF Read More »
We all make choices, some safe and some risky. As the main character in this week’s SPIRIT story sits in the ditch in a car full of friends, she wonders if God kept her safe because rubbed the cross on her visor before they started out. Her friends point out that God is always with
Music and the Gospel: “To The Ground,” Death Cab for Cutie Read More »