Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; John 2:1-11 Shiva and Shakti, the Divine Couple in Hinduism, are in their heavenly abode watching over the earth. They are touched by the challenges of human life, the complexity of human reactions and the ever-present place of suffering in the human existence. As they watch, Shakti spies a miserably poor man walking down… read more →

Readings: Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11, or Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Titus 2: 11-14, 3:4-7, or Acts 10-34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 My theology nerd heart beats a little faster every time lectionary year C comes around. As my students would tell you (rolling their eyes of course), I love Luke’s Gospel. As would be expected, I love it because it features some… read more →

Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2: 1-12 Since 1969, when Neil Armstrong took one small step on the moon, people worldwide have had a love affair with space travel amid the stars. Who, if anyone, is out there? Is there water anywhere? What happens in the life cycle of a comet? Will space travel be available to… read more →

Readings: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28 or Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24 or Colossians 3:12-21; Luke 2:41-52 “Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it—because he is out of place in it, and yet must be in… read more →

Readings: Micah 5:1-4a; Hebrews 10: 5-10; Luke 1: 39-45 We are standing at a threshold waiting for a door to open. There is a sense of anticipation, full of hope for a warm welcome, a loving embrace. Can you just imagine the fulfillment of that promise when the door of God’s mercy opens up for us? What total and unconditional… read more →

Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18 When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter my family held a baby shower for me. I usually only dress up when I have to or when I haven’t done laundry and don’t have anything else clean. And pregnancy was no exception for me. I still remember the dress I wore to the… read more →

II DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO CICLO C Las lecturas de este domingo ponen el acento en la conversión personal a los valores del Evangelio. El profeta Baruc contempla a las/os hijas/os de Israel que vivían en el destierro y les trasmite un mensaje de plena esperanza en un futuro nuevo. Pablo muestra su alegría a los filipenses por la actitud que… read more →

Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 My father was a funeral director. I grew up around the reality that all people die eventually. The earliest recollection I have of experiencing a personal death was that of my great grandmother whom I loved and called “Nonny.” I remember sitting next to Nonny and she would rub my neck… read more →

Readings: Daniel 7: 13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18: 33b-37 Autumn is traditionally regarded as the season of the harvest. We reflect on how God’s blessings overflow across the land. During our Sunday worship, autumn is the season of spiritual gathering. Liturgically, the spiritual harvest began on August 15th with the Assumption of Mary who was the first person harvested through… read more →

Readings: Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10: 11-14, 18; Mark 13:24-32 Fifty years ago the Beatles sang, “Do you want to know a secret; do you promise not to tell?” In our Gospel for this weekend Mark the evangelist is letting us in on a secret as we read of Jesus sharing a secret with the disciples: There will be cosmic upheaval… read more →