December 14/Third Monday of Advent They discussed this among themselves. . . And they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” ~ Matthew 21.27 As this contentious election year draws (thankfully) to a close, I have come to the conclusion that the apotheosis of inauthenticity is a political debate. The throwaway lines, the cheap posturing, the refusal to…
Category: Keeping Advent
Keeping Advent 15: Supporting Roles
December 13/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…
Keeping Advent 14: Leaps and Bounds
December 12/Second Saturday of Advent When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ~ Luke 1.41 I will never forget the ten-week ultrasound for my fourth child (now in college and with several inches on me). As Fred the technician zeroed in on the tiny fetal image, I saw…
Keeping Advent 13: Eliminate the Negative
December 11/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 10/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 The events of the last several months — the relentless advance of the corona virus, the civil unrest as our country has reckoned anew with acts of racism, the…
Keeping Advent 11: The Things We Carry
December 9/Second Wednesday of Advent “Come to me, all you that are weary and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matt 11.28 What are your burdens right now? There are the usual workaday worries — about the well-being of friends and family members, our job status, physical health, financial condition, spiritual state. The pandemic and the election…
Keeping Advent 10: Seeking and Hiding
December 8/Second Tuesday of AdventFeast 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…
Keeping Advent 9: Look Here!
December 7/Second Monday of Advent Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.” ~ Isa 35.3-4 Who among us in these parlous times would not admit to the occasional weak hands and feeble knees? Who among us has not experienced, if…
Keeping Advent 4: The Gift of Presence
December 2/First Wednesday of Advent Moving on from there Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, and going up onto the mountain he sat down there. Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them. ~ Matt 15.29-30 A friend…
Keeping Advent 3: Wise Guys
December 1/First Tuesday of Advent “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” ~ Luke 10.21 No matter how many times I read this passage from Luke, it always makes me feel a bit defensive. What’s wrong with…