Changed on the Way
Retreat is a time to step back, survey the field and listen for God’s whisper. Pilgrimage is a “call of the wild,” to be open to discomfort, challenge and the rough wild path of change. Spiritual seekers need both. In our text for this week,* Jesus wants retreat. He’s gone to the beach in Phoenicia, […]
Religion, and Us, Gone Astray
Here we go again. The Pharisees and scribes are confronting the young rebel Jesus because his disciples are not following all the traditional rituals of their religion (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23). The implication is then that they are going against God. Never mind the overwhelming observation that everything Jesus is about and is shepherding his […]
Will You Also Leave?
They wanted traditional vows: “…for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, ‘till death do us part.” At 62 and 66, they had both suffered loss before. She had been widowed, and he divorced twice. This time, they hoped to sustain their commitment ’til death do us part. And they hoped their children, […]
A Scandalous Thing
A forever life is offered in this week’s gospel passage* by the young rebel rabbi. He calls himself “The Bread of Life,” saying, “The Bread that I present to the world so that it can eat and live is myself, this flesh-and-blood self.” The people around him are taken aback, to put it mildly, and […]