December 17/Third Sunday of Advent He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. ~ John 1.8 Having been a second soprano or an alto in every choral group I’ve ever sung in, I have a keen appreciation for what it means to play a supporting role. Rarely do altos get the show-stopping numbers; their job is…
Author: Betsy Cahill
Keeping Advent 14: Vineyard Vines
December 16/Second Saturday of Advent Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see;Take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted. ~ Psalm 80.15-16 Each spring I enthusiastically launch my annual tomato experiment, trying different breeds and planting strategies to see what will generate the most positive return. Trouble is, as veteran…
Keeping Advent 13: Just Say Yes
December 15/Second Friday of Advent Jesus said to the crowd: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,…
Keeping Advent 12: Blessed Are the Peacemakers
December 14/Second Thursday of Advent(Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church) “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” ~ Matt 11.12 The events of the last year or two – wars in the Middle East and Europe, an…
Keeping Advent 11: The Things We Carry
December 13/Second Wednesday of Advent(Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr) “Come to me, all you that are weary and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matt 11.28 A dear friend has a quotation taped inside one of her kitchen cabinets that I try to remember whenever I am tempted to make a snap judgment of someone,…
Keeping Advent 10: Only Connect
December 12/Second Tuesday of Advent “. . . Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” ~ Luke 1.39 At the moment of life-changing news, what does Mary instinctively do? She seeks out human contact, craving the solace and strength that friendship…
Keeping Advent 9: Circular Thinking
December 11/Second Monday of Advent They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. ~ Luke 5.18-19 A few…
Keeping Advent 8: Memento Mori
December 10/Second Sunday of Advent Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness? ~ 2 Peter 3.11 Memento Mori (Latin for “Remember you must die”) is the title of a 1959 novel by the redoubtable 20th-century Scottish author Muriel Spark, who is a longtime…
Keeping Advent 7: Bringing in the Harvest
December 9/First Saturday of Advent When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” ~ Matt 9.36-38 However you…
Keeping Advent 6: Seek and Hide
December 8/First Friday of AdventSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary The Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” ~ Gen 3.9-10 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of…