Grace Period
Jesus begins this teaching with a clear statement: Suffering is not God’s punishment, nor is success a sign of special blessing. Life is littered with unexpected pain, but those things do not reveal the nature of God.* But Jesus’ parable of the barren fig tree leaves me wondering. Not so much about the protective […]
Flores
The caption for this week’s reading*, Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem, resonates in my bones. My past few weeks have felt like a whirlwind—filled with uncertainty, outrage, and moments of exhaustion. My friends and I remind each other to be kind, to embody community, and to hold one another with tenderness. In this week’s gospel, we […]
This Is (Not) a Test
When I was in elementary school in 1950s Los Angeles, we would practice hiding under our desks and covering our heads whenever the teacher would shout “Drop” so that we would know what to do if there were an earthquake or a nuclear bomb. And at 10am on the last Friday of every month, the […]
Mountaintop Experience
Before and after this Sunday’s gospel story, Jesus is telling his disciples that what lies ahead is his betrayal, suffering, death, and resurrection; and too, that if they are to be his followers, they are to deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow him. In this context, the Transfiguration happens – a […]
