Readings: Deuteronomy 6: 2-6; Hebrews 7: 23-28; Mark 12: 28b-34 Preacher: Sister Karen Dietz The readings given to us by the Church this weekend are relatively short, but packed with age old wisdom that crosses all boundaries of religious expression, race, gender, and nationality. What we read from the Book of Deuteronomy is that we are called to love God, to… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 1: 13-15, 2: 23-24; 2 Corinthians 8: 7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5: 21-43 Preacher: Sister Karen Dietz Mass shootings, climate anomalies wreaking havoc, refugees clamoring at our borders, wars in too many lands to track, shootings, homelessness, and so much more. These are the daily realities that confront us each time we read or watch the news. The value… read more →
Readings: Job 7: 1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9: 16-19, 22-23; Mark 1: 29-39 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz I know a woman in her mid-fifties who has been surrounded by demons and was just recently able to drive them away. Years ago, she was married and together they have two children. During their marriage, they struggled to make ends meet. There were… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 6: 12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Matthew 25: 1-13 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz When I read the scriptures for this Sunday, I am first of all, reminded of a famous quote of St. Agustine: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Second, I think of one of my… read more →
Readings: Exodus 19: 2-6a; Romans 5: 6-11; Matthew 9:36-10:8 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz I grew up in a house of four girls (yep – no brothers) and two stories come to mind as I pray with the readings for today. The first is that like many parents, my mom sometimes called us by a name not our own. When I asked… read more →
Readings: 1 Samuel 16: 1B, 6-7,10-13A; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9: 1-41 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz The Gospel given to us today is very familiar—the healing of the man born blind. I approached this reading in the Ignatian manner of using my imagination and placing myself in the story. Perhaps you can appreciate my surprise when I found myself taking the role… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 35: 1-6a, 10; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz Imagine for a moment holding onto something that is very hot; a roll just out of the oven; a stone heated in the sunshine. Our fingers and hands are sensitive to the heat, and we probably would be passing the object from one hand to the… read more →
Readings: Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29; Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14 Preacher: Sister Karen Dietz Several weeks ago I fell and what we thought was a severely strained back ended up being a fracture. Over the course of these weeks I have had to depend on others in ways I never imagined. From taking on my household chores to… read more →
Readings: Acts 5: 12-16; Revelations 1: 9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20: 19-31 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz Have you ever had the experience of feeling more than one emotion at a time? I am thinking of feeling grief when a loved one dies and relief that their suffering is finally at an end, joy for another’s success and sadness because that success… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 33: 14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3: 12- 4:2; Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz “Hope” is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tune without words and never stops at all. -Emily Dickinson ‘May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we… read more →