Questions in the Dark

My Lenten practice this year is to notice what questions arise in the dark, either in my dreams or wakeful times. Sleep seems to filter out the trivia, and I discover what my real questions are. Some arise from worries, of course. Others involve long-forgotten incidents, odd dream encounters, and shards of conversation that I […]

Do More, Be More, Have More

Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there. Right after his glorious confirmation, right after being assured of his place and purpose—“This is my beloved, in whom I am well pleased”—Jesus faces the wilderness. Great assurance, followed by great difficulty. Is it possible we heard wrong our calling? […]

Luminous Transformation

Transfiguration Sunday. Can it be that Lent is right on the horizon? The lectionary readings have so quickly, perhaps too quickly, punctuated the wondrous intensities of Advent, Jesus’ birth, early epiphanies and now transfiguration. Transfiguration is the stunning summit epiphany* before turning toward Calvary. It is a brief, loaded account, without equal. Jesus goes to a new […]

The Joy of Anticipation – Dec. 16, 2022

“Advent is a period of preparation for Christmas but, unlike Lent, it is not a period of penance. It is a period that focuses us on joy. We prepare ourselves to understand the full adult meaning of the feast. We come to realize more each year how great are our blessings, how beautiful is a life lived in […]