Here in New England, this winter has been rather mild—until this past week. We began the week with a short snowfall that only dropped a few inches of snow. It was just enough for everything to look like a ski resort brochure. For those of us from hearty northern stock, having a few days of winter feeling like winter has been keeping us going. My students and I had a few days of joy making snow angels, climbing on the... Read more
Sunday’s Gospel leaves me with some questions. The first one is about who among us recognizes Jesus? The second is, who does Jesus address in this situation? Let us go back a little bit. Jesus is not exactly catapulted to the top tier of society – not that I’m sure he’d want to be there. We do find a number of naysayers in First Century Palestine who wanted to see him silenced or gone. Many of the temple priests, local... Read more
“Was St. Joseph ever a jerk?” The young woman asking the question had already asked it of Mary and Jesus, and much to her chagrin the answer had been no—they were perfectly sinless. She stood on the steps illuminated by Christmas lights, worry lines showing on her forehead. The young woman has autism and she wasn’t being disrespectful. She often feels as though she’s acted like a jerk, and it makes her feel horrible. She wants to know that... Read more
This is our first Things Keeping Us Going of the new semester AND of the new Biden-Harris administration. So, there is a busy week ahead of us. Knowing that, I should have spent more time getting stuff done this past weekend. Instead, I played with my grandson–The Very Best Baby–and then, inspired by Amanda Gorman’s reading at the inauguration last week, I spent two hours at a (virtual) spoken word poetry celebration. I regret nothing. Here are some other things... Read more
I was so skinny as a teenager that the pediatrician started asking concerned questions about my relationship to food. Really I was just skinny, but she was right to ask. She said, “It’s the good ones you have to worry about. It’s the conscientious, high-performing kids who get eating disorders.” I was a good girl. More than that, I was a good Catholic girl, the kind who strung so many holy medals onto her scapular that it jangled like... Read more
Four years ago, I parked my wheelchair behind the rows of pews in the mostly empty church before the baptism of one of my nieces. I bent my head in silent meditation, so it seemed to any on-lookers that I was lost in prayer. Was I though? I don’t think at that time I’d prayed in a while, at least not to Anyone I thought was listening. This church with its gothic architecture, marbled columns, and high-vaulted ceilings was... Read more
Please pray with us for our country: For taking the planet’s resources for granted, Lord have mercy. For putting immigrants in cages, Lord have mercy. For tolerating rampant racism and misogyny, Lord have mercy. For the theft of native lands for profit, Lord have mercy. For trampling upon the mentally ill and the vulnerable, Lord have mercy. For the health and safety of our elected officials, Lord hear our prayer. For hearts that welcome the stranger in our... Read more
photo by Wikimedia commons It is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the US. In past years, I would enthusiastically share quotes on social media, read children’s books about the man and his work to my young students, and occasionally attend the powerful service that the St. James Baptist Church in my adopted community hosts annually. This year, though, I find that I cannot. I cannot blithely share quotations out of context as though that does... Read more
[Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter. –John 1:41-42 You are mending your nets when your younger brother Andrew comes running up to you. “John pointed us to the Christ! Come and see!” You lay your... Read more
It’s been a rough week around our nation. For me, my preschool classroom has been a sanctuary from the Covid-19 surge and the insurrection at our capitol. It has given me tremendous hope to see these tiny humans play and learn together. They work REALLY hard at managing their big feelings, and showing kindness to one another. (American Adults we can learn a thing or two from them. Just sayin’.) Beyond that, they make me laugh. One of my preschoolers... Read more
Sick Pilgrim
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