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Day One
It seems most of us were up and about before sunrise. Being close to the equator, sunrise and sunset are consistently within a half-hour window. Very predictable … unless it’s overcast. But today begins with a glorious sunrise. Photo taken from my bedroom window a little after 6:30 AM. The local weather on my phone…
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A Pilgrim to the Holy Land
This is my first trip to the Holy Land, so I travel as a pilgrim to listen and watch and ponder. I am convinced the Holy Spirit has brought me here for a reason. I have mine, but I’m not opposed to having other reasons. So I am not wasting this opportunity. It’s an item…
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Bacon, Chocolate, & Discipleship
Photo by Ashes Sitoula on Unsplash Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Salt and light. It’s not that difficult to see where this is going. The passage from Matthew’s gospel has Jesus teaching his disciples the importance of the role of the Christian as an active participant in God’s wonderful plan of salvation, and as an…
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A Race to Irrelevance & Obscurity
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Despite claiming to be law-abiding citizens while professing faith in God most merciful, we grow numb to the corrosive divisiveness and callous disregard for human dignity popping more frequently each day all across the country. Gun violence and police misconduct are top of the list right now. How do we…
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Return to the Source
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time In a couple of weeks, I will be traveling on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with friends from my previous parish in Waynesboro. It is a destination off my bucket list. And it gives me pause to think I will be walking the dusty roads that Jesus walked and visiting…
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Love Will Eat You Alive
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time A teenager approaches you, believing you have wisdom and experience, and asks you, “How can I tell if I’m in love?” “Finally,” you say to yourself. “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for all my life.” While the temptation is overwhelming, you restrain yourself admirably. You don’t ask, “What’s…
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No Exceptions
The Epiphany of the Lord The wise men came from the east, Persia, Arabia, Turkey perhaps, to do homage to a newborn infant lying in a manger. The word “magi” indicates they were learned men, astrologers, possibly leaders among their own people. Scripture does not say how many of them came to visit, only that…
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Exceeding Expectations
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God On this first day of the new year, the church asks us to pray once again for peace. It isn’t that we don’t pray for peace any other time of the year because we do. But as we cross the threshold of a new year, we always eagerly leave…
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Our God Comes to Stay
The Nativity of the Lord “So where are you really from?” That question landed a former lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth and godmother of Prince William in hot water recently, forcing her into early retirement at age 83. It sounds innocent enough. But for those accustomed to hearing the question even if no malice…
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wisdom in the most unlikely places
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