More Than a Meal
After getting the awful news that his cousin John, the baptizer, had been killed, Jesus slipped away in a boat to a quiet place to grieve and pray and plan.* Seeing a great multitude make their way to where he was heading, a wave of compassion fell across his bow. Back to his healing work […]
Deep Trust
As I look out on our days and into my soul and try to make a way with so much turmoil and unknowing, an ancient Jewish saying from the Talmud comes to mind: “Every blade of grass has its own angel bending over it, whispering, “Grow, grow.”” I don’t know about you, but I long […]
Weeds and Seeds
There is a startling parable in today’s gospel,* valuing weeds and seeds. It follows the parable of the Good Sower, also about seeds, but with more focus on the soil, the ground that does or does not help the seeds take root. But in this second story, Jesus is clear about the good seeds and […]
Good Soil
I remember driving through the countryside in Ireland (oh, to travel to beautiful faraway places again…) and seeing field after field of tilled earth. The rich black soil was studded by white and gray stones, but the biggest rocks had been rolled to the edges and formed into fences and barriers, neatly demarcating the squares. […]