God’s Constancy
In this Sunday’s gospel parable, I have to hand it to the seemingly powerless widow for being so persistent in her cries for justice before a powerful authority who seemingly couldn’t care less.* What propels her day in and day out to make her case before a judge “who neither feared God nor had respect […]
The Great Eraser
Borders are, all too often, contentious places. You can probably name a handful of current conflicts just off the top of your head: India-Pakistan, Ukraine-Russia, Eritrea-Ethiopia, and so on. Sometimes the closest neighbors make for the bitterest enemies. This was true back in Jesus’ day too, although the reciprocal acts of violence and destruction between […]
Joy as Resistance
In today’s reading* the disciples ask Jesus, “Increase our faith!” It is an honest plea that I frankly understand deep in my core. How many times, particularly in the past 12 months have I reiterated those same sentiments. When the world feels overwhelming, when injustice, struggle, and exhaustion piles up, it’s tempting to think we […]
The Soulwork of Justice
In his new book, The Soulwork of Justice, Wes Granberg-Michaelson writes about his early encounter with the temptations of power: The world of social activism nurtures grandiosity. If you are part of that culture, even in smaller, local settings away from Washigton, DC, you’ve probably witnessed this. Inward, private truths get shaded by public personalities. […]
