The Teacher and the Tempest
Mark 4:35-41 Jesus had been teaching by the sea, telling stories about lights hidden under baskets, scattering seeds, and the way in which they best grow. After the lessons, he told his students, “let’s cross over to the farthest shore.” Enough stories for now. The hearers are sated from his rich and mysterious words, yet […]
Lessons from Growing Seeds
I haven’t planted flower seeds in a long time. So I smiled this spring, on Mother’s Day, when my daughter gave me six packets of seeds. I read the instructions carefully: just scatter the wildflower seeds; soak the sweet pea seeds for a day first; plant the zinnias and snapdragons and poppies right away, just […]
Who Is My Family?
What a hard challenge Mary and her family faced! They were faced with relinquishing their privileged place in Jesus’ life and opening to his cosmic vision of family; an invitation to move from a conception of family as a closed, almost sacred, unit, to a wildly welcoming space, with no boundaries except to love. When […]
Is It Life-Giving?
In the gospel reading for today (Mark 2:23-3:6) Jesus is being challenged by the religious authorities, ostensibly for not keeping to their interpretation of Sabbath regulations, more likely, for turning their world upside down. Jesus’ way of extravagant and unconditional inclusion and mercy is a threat to their way of life. If Jesus cannot be […]