February 22/First Monday of LentFeast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;he restores my soul. ~ Ps 23.1-3a Before COVID-19, it was our frantic pace and hectic schedules that kept us from attaining the green pastures and still…
Author: Betsy Cahill
Song 4: Dependents
February 20/Saturday after Ash Wednesday Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. ~ Ps. 86.1-2 It isn’t easy to come right out and call ourselves poor and needy, is it? We have been trained by our culture to…
Song 3: My Bad
February 19/Friday after Ash Wednesday For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: “Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.” ~ Ps 51.5-6 Not long ago, after a botched ice-maker repair by a local company, I fumed to my husband, “The worst thing is that they didn’t even apologize!” Reluctance…
Song 2: The Company We Keep
February 18/Thursday after Ash Wednesday Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. ~ Ps 1.1-2 If there is one thing we have learned as…
Song 1: Mercy Me
February 17/Ash Wednesday Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion, wipe out my offenses. ~ Ps 51.3 We arrive on the doorstep of Lent depleted and weary. We have given up so much already, this year. Indeed, to those of us who have lost friends and relatives, who endure prolonged isolation, who struggle…
Keeping Advent 26: The Dawn of Peace
December 24/Fourth Thursday of Advent In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. ~ Luke 1.79 At the very edge of the dark world, a world of deep anxiety,…
Keeping Advent 25: What’s in a Name?
December 23/Fourth Wednesday of Advent He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. ~ Luke 1.63 The other day I came across a list of baby names that my husband and I had compiled more than twenty-five years ago, as we awaited the birth of our first child. All of them were family…
Keeping Advent 24: Let Your Life Sing
December 22/Fourth Tuesday of Advent Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” ~ Luke 1.46 Decades ago, after successfully completing interviews that would propel me to the final round of a scholarship competition, I floated into the car for the two-hour drive home and immediately popped the Hallelujah chorus from…
Keeping Advent 23: Let the Sun Shine In
December 21/Fourth Monday of Advent The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. ~ Song of Songs 2.11 “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” ~ Luke 1.43 It has been an extraordinarily, even existentially…
Keeping Advent 22: The Lord Be With You
December 20/Fourth Sunday of Advent “I have been with you wherever you went.” ~ 2 Sam 7.9 Even in this retail-challenged year, when many of us are avoiding stores, some people still seem to have a knack for picking out wonderful gifts — the book that delights, the scarf that adorns, the kitchen gadget that becomes indispensable. Others of us…