Dear Friends: Advent is approaching quickly. We will celebrate the "Hanging of the Greens" this year on Sunday, November 24th at noon, a few days before Thanksgiving and, then, the race is on! Sunday, December 1st is the first Sunday in Advent. Our theme for Advent this year is "Friends in...
Do you remember the opportunities in the magazines, back when you were a kid, to finish a drawing or to color a picture that you could then submit and, possibly, win a prize? I was always surprised when the magazine published the finalists and the winners’ pictures, how different...
Watching, for even a moment, the coverage the other day (June 6, 2019) of the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day, can one fail to be in awe of the courage, conviction and commitment—in other words, the citizenship—of those who crossed the English Channel fully...
The Church Imperfect There’s an old Christmas carol, called, as far as I can tell, “Irish Carol,” whose chorus goes like this: In heav'n the Church triumphant adores with all her choirs The militant on earth with humble faith admires The carol was on an album produced by...
I’ve noticed, lately, an uptick in the injection of sarcastic remarks into dialogue on serious matters in our country. Actually, more than an uptick—more like a flood. How unfortunate! What is sarcasm? My online dictionary (via a Google search) defines...
The mid-term elections are over; only a few votes remain to be counted, only a small number of races yet an issue. If you’re like me at all, you have already let out a sigh of relief. No more campaign ads, no more accusations, no more fear of talking with friends and neighbors...
Just home from a hospital visit with a beloved parishioner. Early this morning, I felt a nudge, a push—get up and go to the hospital soon. Off I went. I sat in the quiet room for a half hour. Quiet prayers. Thinking about this good man’s life; imagining him...
Dear Friends: I've been the primary dog walker in our home the past few days. Chloe walks in the morning and just after she eats her supper late in the afternoon. As we "fell back" into Eastern Standard time, we've adjusted, Chloe and I, so that the afternoon walk comes just...
Dear Friends: Be imitators of Jesus. What a bold challenge! Be imitators of the One who is perfect. Be imitators of the One whose mind is pure and purely compassionate. Be imitators of the One whose courage exceeds our imagination of what it means to be...
Dear Friends: Change is in the air. I look out the window into the woods and see colors that were not there even yesterday. The greens of last week are being replaced by yellows and oranges and reds; the beauty of these colors should not be ignored, even as we are conscious...