February 15/Thursday after Ash Wednesday Blessed 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 “When will we get there?” On the annual summer…
Author: Betsy Cahill
Song 1: True Love
February 14/Ash Wednesday Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;in the greatness of your compassion, wipe out my offenses. ~ Ps 51.3 It is February 14: Valentine’s Day. It is February 14: Ash Wednesday. A day for love, certainly, but not the kind expressed by winged cupids, red roses, and sugary candy hearts that say “LUV YA” and “U…
Coming Soon: Songs for Lent
Ash Wednesday, which inaugurates the penitential season of Lent, will be on February 14, 2024. For the eleventh year, I will be offering a daily reflection on the psalm verses from the lectionary, accompanied by music, imagery, and a prayer as well as a link to the readings. For readers who are newer to the reflections, a word about why…
Keeping Advent 22: The Lord Be With Us
December 24/Fourth Sunday of Advent I have been with you wherever you went. ~ 2 Sam 7.9 Some people have a knack for picking out wonderful gifts — the book that delights, the scarf that adorns, the kitchen gadget that transforms. Others of us worry, as we put the last presents under the tree, whether we have chosen well. Will…
Keeping Advent 21: MYOB
December 23/Third Saturday of Advent So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. ~ Luke 1.51 For the past few years, I have carried around in my wallet a nugget of wisdom from the great contemporary Presbyterian minister and author, Frederick Buechner, reminding me that I should mind my own business when it comes…
Keeping Advent 20: Devil’s Food
December 22/Third Friday of Advent He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ~ Luke 1.51 PEWSAGL: the mnemonic I created for the Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony, Lust, since you asked) still occupies space in my brain from my high school study of Chaucer (and yes, it is fair to ask what…
Keeping Advent 19: Why Me?
December 21/Third Thursday of Advent Elizabeth . . . said, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” ~ Luke 1.42 If there are any fashionable virtues these days — and sometimes it seems that the very concept of virtue is obsolete — we can be sure that humility is not among…
Keeping Advent 18: Ordinary People
December 20/Third Wednesday of Advent Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” ~ Luke 1.38 The culture in which we live and breathe seems to idolize the extreme and the extraordinary. Leading an ordinary life is not enough: we have to be the best, the richest, the…
Keeping Advent 17: The Waiting Game
December 19/Third Tuesday of Advent But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard.” ~ Luke 1.13 In the course of raising four children, I spent plenty of time waiting. Not only waiting out the nine months of each pregnancy, but waiting in carpool lines, waiting for toddlers to fall asleep and…
Keeping Advent 16: Exit Strategy
December 18/Third Monday of Advent When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. ~ Matt. 1.24 Joseph wanted out. His plans to marry a young village woman were upended when he learned of her unexpected – and inexplicable – pregnancy. Being a righteous man (obedient to Jewish…