December 11/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 readers…
Keeping Advent 13: Eliminate the Negative
December 10/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, ‘He…
Keeping Advent 12: Blessed Are the Peacemakers
December 9/Second Thursday of Advent “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 COVID-19 is not the only pandemic that has burrowed into our society and shows no signs of leaving. We are plagued, these days, by social division, profound political discord, and…
Keeping Advent 11: Seeking and Hiding
December 8/Second Wednesday of AdventSolemnity of the Immaculate Conception 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 the Lord; let it…
Keeping Advent 10: Gone, But Not Forgotten
December 7/Second Tuesday of AdventFeast of St. Ambrose If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? ~ Matthew 18.12 Plenty of people I know, and probably plenty of people you know, have wandered away not only from organized religion but…
Keeping Advent 9: Obstacle Course
December 6/Second Monday of Advent Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. 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…
Keeping Advent 8: Our Help is From the Lord
December 5/Second Sunday of Advent I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. ~ Phil 1.6 The market for self-improvement in the United States is a robust one – workshops and seminars, personal coaching, and a proliferation of self-help books that alone…
Keeping Advent 7: Shepherd Me, O God
December 4/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 slice…
Keeping Advent 6: Inquiring Minds
December 3/First Friday of Advent One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. ~ Psalm 27.4 At the end of whatever time I am able to set aside for prayer in…
Keeping Advent 5: Following Through
December 2/First Thursday of Advent “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” ~ Matt 7.21 To those who do not inhabit the pew of a church on a weekly basis, the gap between the profession of the Christian faith and…