In my reflection from two weeks ago on the first week of Advent I wrote the following: My practice this Advent, therefore, is to remain present and open to all that comes with this busy season, to experience it in its fullness,...
Read MoreThe liturgical calendar still says that it is Advent, and yet I find myself thinking about one of the most disturbing feast days of the year, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Every year on December 28th, the Church marks that...
Read MoreOdyssey Networks will be doing a series of invited blog posts from religious thinkers responding to the horrific events of yesterday morning. Here is a link to mine, and this is a selection from it: On the day of the shooting,...
Read MoreIn his book Pathologies of Power, Paul Farmer offers the story of a young woman named Acephie. Acephie was one of Dr. Farmer’s first HIV/AIDS patients and her story beautifully and tragically illustrates the need in...
Read MoreZep 3:14-18 Is 12:2-3,4,5-6 Phil 4:4-7 Lk 3:10-18 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” As I struggled with the question of how it might be possible to rejoice even in the midst of suffering, my mind...
Read MoreI have always loved how, in Luke’s gospel, the story of the Annuciation is followed by Mary’s canticle in which she praises God who “puts down the mighty from their thrones.” Some scripture scholars think the song may be Luke’s...
Read MoreWe often hear that worries about a euthanasia slippery slope are unfounded–especially when discussing public policy initiatives like Massachusetts’ recently-defeated Death with Dignity Act. In a previous post...
Read MoreThe Colosseum in Rome was lit up on November 29, 2012 in honor of Connecticut’s repeal of the death penalty back in April. Former California death row inmate Shujaa Graham, who was a featured speaker at the annual conference of...
Read MoreMy husband and I are big Modern Family fans, which we gleefully watch on Hulu after the baby goes to sleep. One of the things we love about the show is its family values–the show has three different families, only one of...
Read MoreBar 5:1-9 Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 Lk 3:1-6 Although Advent and Lent have a lot in common (the violet vestments with a smattering of pink, an emphasis on reconciliation, no Gloria), Advent, properly speaking, is...
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