Readings: Exodus 17: 8-13; 2 Timothy 3: 14-4:2; Luke 18: 1-8 Preacher: Sonja Livingston Is anything as formidable as a persistent woman? She is like water lapping at rock, her constancy slowly wearing it away. Despite such power, cultural depictions of persistent women are largely unflattering. While our Gospel writer is kind enough to omit such terminology, we understand that the… read more →
Readings: 2 Kings 5: 14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17: 11-19 Preacher: Susan K. Roll “Are you having any trouble crossing the border these days?” ask a few of my friends who know that I cross between the U.S. and Canada regularly. I tell them, fortunately no, I’m always asked more or less the same simple questions and then I’m on… read more →
Readings: Habaukkuk 1:2-3,2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14; Luke 17:5-10 Preacher: Deni Mack The film Cabrini shows us a woman who had more faith than I can imagine. My faith feels smaller than a mustard seed; Mother Cabrini’s faith was gigantic! Mother Cabrini (Born 1850, Died 1917) knew God called her to service among poor people and Pope Leo XIII knew where she… read more →
Readings: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6: 11-16; Luke 16: 19-31 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine Raise your hand if you want to be poor. I’m not raising my hand. In our world of “haves” and “have nots” being poor conveys a life of struggle, stress, lack. It’s not the side I want to be on; is that the side God wants… read more →
Readings: Amos 8: 4-7; 1 Timothy 2: 1-8; Luke 16: 1-13 Preacher: Meghan Kellogg Seduction. That’s the word that came to me after sitting with today’s Gospel. Jesus’ parable points to how easy it is to be seduced into thinking we are indeed responding justly, only for God to reveal to us our idol was never God at all. In fact,… read more →
Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler Anyone who has ever gotten tired of eating leftovers after just a day or two might sympathize with the Israelites. They had been wandering in the desert for forty years, with manna for breakfast and quail for dinner. Day in and day out, the same food. They were weary of… read more →
Readings: Wisdom 9: 13-18b; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14: 25-33 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino Another school year begins. What memories immediately come to mind for you? I can vividly recall 10th grade geometry—a real puzzle at first, until it suddenly made sense! Then, many years later, I walked into my very first theology class, “The Church of the Future” – and my… read more →
Readings: Sirach 3: 17-18, 20, 28-29; Hebrews 12: 18-19, 22, 24a; Luke 14: 1, 7-14 Preacher: Patrick Fox Today’s Gospel recounts the story of two meals. In the first Jesus offers a parable of choosing the lower place so that one might be exalted rather than humbled. The second parable offers inviting the poor, crippled and lame. As I reflect on… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13; Luke 13:22-30 Preacher: Irene Goodwin Who, day and night, must scramble for a living,Feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers?And who has the right, as master of the house,To have the final word at home? The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.The Papa, the Papa! Tradition. Who must know the way to make a proper home,A… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Hebrews 12: 1-4; Luke 12: 49-53 Preacher: Susan Howard I am a convert. Brought into the Church April 2,1994. The first Catholic in my immediate family. However, I was bought up in a Christian household and a heavily Catholic neighborhood. I went to Church with the neighbor girls at a time when we had to pin tissues… read more →