“Ellie, are we going to pray today?” a tenth grader at church asked me during programming last Wednesday. “Yes, we are going to close in prayer today. Why?” Her chin quivered first for a moment before she broke down into tears. She found out at the end of her school day that a classmate ofContinue reading “Companions in Grief”
Tag Archives: Keeping Faith Today
Bread
I love communion. It is a mysterious ritual that always lives a bit beyond our human understanding. I love bread. I married a man who makes bread from scratch– baguettes, pizza dough, bagels and loaves of cracked wheat fill our kitchen with flour and the smell of goodness rising. I love sharing meals with people,Continue reading “Bread”
Gospel Reflection for November 2, 2014, All Souls Day
“All that the Father gives me will come to me; no one who comes to me will I ever reject.” John 6.37 Death calls for faith. It is the ultimate threshold of human life beyond which we cannot see. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the heart of Christian faith. The God who raised JesusContinue reading “Gospel Reflection for November 2, 2014, All Souls Day”
Loving God and Neighbor
From the Spirit 4 Teens blog: “One cannot honor another person without blessing God who created the person. One cannot adore God without loving all God’s creatures.” Catechism of the Catholic Church #2069 Loving our neighbors as ourselves is another way of expressing the golden rule — “Do unto others as you would have themContinue reading “Loving God and Neighbor”
You Matter
The Hebrew Scripture is tough. It’s long and old. It requires studying it year in and year out, so much more than just reading it like a devotional or a novel. Translating the stories to our own lives is daunting to say the least. And I think it’s easy for Christians to oversimplify the wholeContinue reading “You Matter”
Recover Your Life
What do I need to do to make it to heaven? How do I be first? I want one of my sons to sit on your right and one on your left in the kingdom of heaven. Who is the greatest among us? I’ve done all that, what am I missing? Throughout the Gospel ofContinue reading “Recover Your Life”
The Cost of Freedom
“Which is better, the slavery you know or the freedom you don’t?” I asked a group of 10th graders. It was a risky question for a lot of reasons, one being that I didn’t know these students yet. My teacher friend asked me to come in to his Hebrew Scripture class for a day. “WeContinue reading “The Cost of Freedom”
The Daughters of Abraham
We’re walking through the whole Bible this year with our 7th graders. That means we are attempting to address the entire Hebrew Scripture by Christmas– no small task. This week we are studying the story of Abraham and Sarah: They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”Continue reading “The Daughters of Abraham”
Fierce Love
I have a child growing in my womb who will take on the last name of my husband, which is Ruth. When we first met, he joking tried to woo me by telling me that all of his names were Biblical: Daniel Paul Ruth. I love the book of Ruth and have been looking atContinue reading “Fierce Love”
New Life
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! –2 Corinthians 5:17 My friend is a personal trainer. She is in the midst of her busiest time of year. January 1st rolls around and without fail, she gets a slew of new clients looking toContinue reading “New Life”
Keeping Faith Today 