A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew: And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him... Read more
I had a little time, so I went to the chapel. It was that same old chapel in the old hospital, the one I’ve been to several times before. It doesn’t scare me the way a church scares me, most of the time. I slid into the yellow wood bench, a little anxious as usual. I don’t know how many other people use that chapel. The dead clover somebody brough to the statue of the Virgin Mary in a glass... Read more
Hey everybody, This is not a normal post, this is my every-several-weeks blogkeeping post about what I’ve been up to lately, and where to find me when I’m not on Patheos. In the winter of 2025 here at Patheos, we saw the inauguration and the presidency of Elon Musk, who nobody voted for. I had to remind everyone that being rich doesn’t excuse you for sin. And I went back to a theme I’m constantly harping on: empathy is... Read more
Jimmy’s boy wants blackberry bushes. All the children want blackberry bushes, and I’m partial to blackberries myself. All of my strawberries are Junebearers, so it would be fun to have fruit to pick in the middle of summer when the strawberries are exhausted. Blackberries, I’m told, spread like weeds, so it’s best to put them in a container. I am terrible at container gardening, but I’m keen to learn. A bare root blackberry bush costs nine dollars and we’re... Read more
As the world died around me, I went for a drive. It was the brightest, cleanest, sunniest of early spring days. Not a cloud in the sky overhead. Not a breath of wind. The crocuses were nearly spent and some neighbors’ daffodils were beginning to bud. Robins hopped on the lawns. I felt that I was in Heaven. I drove out to the grocery store and picked up a box of oatmeal cookies. On the way to the checkout,... Read more
Over the weekend, I got sick. It began with a scratchy throat that quickly turned into laryngitis. I spent most of the day speaking in a rasp that made Adrienne laugh. Then I got exhausted, too exhausted to drive us to Sunday Mass. I declared “I’m going to Saint Mattress” and went to lie down while Michael walked uphill to church by himself. By nightfall, I had a low grade fever. My body temperature tends to be low, so when... Read more
Spring came, and nobody could stop it. The winter seemed as if it would go on for all eternity, and then it died suddenly. Spring popped up just as quickly. The forever snow went away. Just days ago I saw crocuses and knew the winter was gone. Today, it was so warm that we had to turn on the window air conditioner to keep the downstairs from stifling. That air conditioner was so loud that I almost didn’t hear the... Read more
When you think of a good man, what do you think of? I don’t really care whether someone is conventionally masculine or feminine. But plenty of people do. I get told again and again that there’s a masculinity crisis and we need to think about men even if we’ve got much better things to do. All right then, let’s think of what makes a good man. When I think of a good man, I don’t think of masculinity influencers.... Read more
I just want to remind everyone that there is no “rich person” exception to the Ten Commandments or the Golden Rule. That doesn’t exist. If something would be wrong, underhanded, and immoral for a poor or middle-class person to do, it doesn’t suddenly become okay if you’re rich. That’s never been how our Faith works. Pride is a sin in any income bracket. Pride is the root of ALL sin. Narcissism and arrogance don’t suddenly become funny and masculine... Read more
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark: People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced... Read more
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