This week’s Spirit begins with a girl feeling how unfair life always is: she didn’t have enough toys as a child, not enough new clothes now. Everyone else has more than she does. Then she helps her brother out at a food kitchen in a poorer neighborhood and realizes that her hardships are minimal compared […]
Music and the Gospel: “Sound and Color,” Alabama Shakes; 3rd Sunday of Advent Read More »
Sunday Readings: Jeremiah 33.14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3.12-4.2; Luke 21.25-28, 34-36 “Stay watchful.” (Luke 21.36) Advent begins with a gospel that imagines Jesus coming in glory. The gospel fairly froths with frightening images. Scary gospels can hardly worry us more than our everyday headlines and breaking news. Refugees swarm north across border after border, seeking a
Gospel Reflection for November 29, 2015, 1st Sunday of Advent Read More »
Sometimes in order to understand a situation or a person, we have to walk a mile in their shoes. In the case of the St. Paul high schoolers, they walk 26 miles every year to raise money for a local soup kitchen. Not only does this prove to be a physical journey but it also
Music and the Gospel: “The Sun is Rising,” Britt Nicole; 1st Sunday of Advent Read More »
This week’s Spirit focuses on Jesus’ message that we are all sacred no matter who we are or what our circumstances may be. Life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes we make decisions that don’t work out. It’s important to remember that people who suffer from natural disasters, poverty, or lack of education
Music and the Gospel: “Something Better,” Audien, ft. Lady Antebellum; Christ the King Read More »
It’s easy to see some sort of trauma all around us: in the news, on the playground, in the home. It’s also easy to look to God and wonder why bad things happen. Matthew West’s song “Do Something” is a call to action. It urges us to look directly at our world and take in
Music and the Gospel: “Do Something,” Matthew West Read More »
Today is World Food Day 2015! This day marks the founding of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. This year’s theme is: “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty”. Join in solidarity against hunger, especially among the poorest people. Visit the websites of the Food and Agricultural Organization, Heifer
World Food Day 2015 Read More »
“Whoever among you wants to be first must serve the needs of all. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” This Sunday’s Spirit focuses on service. By sustaining the Empty Bowls project and donating the proceeds to Heifer International (which then provides a means for helping people become more
Music and the Gospel: “Set The World On Fire,” Britt Nicole Read More »
Sunday Readings: Wisdom 7.7-11; Hebrews 4.12-13; Mark 19.17-27 “All things are possible with God.” (Mark 10.27) More than half the world people live on $2-$10 per day. In our country we hear calls to keep our economy humming, to buy and consume. Now the Catholic Church has a leader who comes from a continent where
Gospel Reflection for October 11, 2015, 28th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Numbers 11.25-29; James 5.1-6; Mark 9.38-48 “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9.40) Jesus claims broad middle ground in this saying. Often activists, liberal or conservative, reverse Jesus’ saying and eliminate middle ground. In mobilizing advocates for change in public policies, they insist whoever is not for us is against
Gospel Reflection for September 27, 2015, 26th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »