FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
12 JULY 2020 About 25 years ago I paid my summer visit to my parents in Hatley. My friend Mike came along. I believe there are two things which mark a Polish household: 1. There is always more food set out for guests than could possibly be eaten. 2. And you don’t leave the table until you’ve eaten it all. On this trip to Hatley I decided that I could politely refuse the food my mother would push. After all these years, I should know better. When mom came around, for the fourth time with the last of the new potatoes just dug from their garden for us, I said: “I’ve really had...
Read MoreFOURTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
5 July 2020 Ephesus is one of the best preserved of the classical Roman cities and was perhaps one of the highlights of my trip to Greece and Turkey. It grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire and had the second largest hospital in the then known world. The most amazing thing about that hospital though, is that in its known history, no one ever died there. The physicians had a 100% cure rate. How did they do it? Was this miraculous? Did they have cures known to them that we with all of our scientific knowledge don’t have? Did they have access to ancient herbal medicines that...
Read MoreTHIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
28 JUNE 2020 At Newman our preparation program for First Eucharist included “The Gold Book.” It was a recognition that while some preparation was done in class more of it was done in the home. Each year I would read over the gold books which our children completed with their mothers and fathers. The gold books have places for the children to draw pictures of what they see when someone is baptized. Often there were squalling babies held up by their heels over a font and a bald man pouring water over their heads. There was a place for the children to draw what they see in church on Sunday....
Read MoreTWELFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
21 June 2020 Several summers ago a former student who now lives in the Cities, offered to take a group of us on a boat trip up and down the St. Croix. I had never been on the St. Croix so I said, “Yes.” My good friend Mike, also came along as well as several other former students. It was a good reunion and also a sad one. A couple of the students who used to be active at Newman, no longer go to church. We chugged up the St. Croix from Hastings, put in at Stillwater for lunch, and then up a little further, and then we turned around. Just as we’re approaching Hudson on the return trip, the...
Read MoreCORPUS CHRISTI
14 June 2020 There is a wonderful story about a man who lived quite an extraordinary life. He encountered one hardship after another. His wife died, his children never visited him. His house was destroyed by fire, he lost his job. Through it all he never became cynical, always remained cheerful, never returned evil for evil. Then he died. When he arrived at the pearly gates everyone in heaven turned out to meet him– The prosecuting angel stood up first, drew everyone’s attention, pointed his finger at the man, and then said in a weak voice: There’s nothing, no charges against him....
Read MoreTHE HOLY TRINITY
7 JUNE 2020 The Feast of the Holy Trinity does not have the sentimentality of Christmas, nor the ringing Alleluia’s of Easter. In fact it seems almost buried in the liturgical year, Just outside the boundaries of the fifty days of rejoicing, at the beginning of “ordinary time.” This is also the beginning of summer when we try to forget the harsh winter, cast our cares on warm breezes, sunshine and fishing. This is the time we slow down and most of us try not to think much. We could live well without this Trinity Feast, we’re looking for picnics now. But this Feast has come. To remind us of...
Read MorePENTECOST
31 May 2020 A prayer for this Pentecost. Come Holy Spirit, Guide my days and deeds. Give me healing in my soul, Love in my life, and strength always for my task on earth. When I am discouraged. Grant me hope; When I am sad, Show me the way ahead’ And when I want to leave the way of Jesus,...
Read MoreASCENSION
24 MAY 2020 They all came back, save Judas. They were all there, save Judas. Even though just about everyone of them deserted him, betrayed him, fled his passion and cross, they were there. I’m always been just a little amazed there weren’t any retributions. Of course Jesus wouldn’t be this forgiving savior that we like to think of if there had. But on other occasions he could cast people out–let’s remember that temple scene, and his admonishments about giving scandal. He was capable of separating the goats from the sheep, warned it would happen,...
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