Lily Tomlin jokes that when we talk to God, we’re said to be praying, but when God talks to us, we’re said to be schizophrenic. Maybe I’m crazy, but I believe God talks to me. Frankly, he talks to me far more often than I listen. The primary way I hear God’s voice is through […]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Adam and Eve lately. I’ll say why in a minute. First, let’s look at the story. God creates the earth and fills it with all that is necessary to sustain life. Its abundance is that of a lush garden. He creates a man and a woman to tend this […]

We’ve seen so many cartoons of tiny flames and cute little devils with pitchforks that it’s hard to fear damnation anymore. However, Satan may have upgraded since the Bible was written. Maybe Hell is more like this: “Morning, folks, it’s Old Nick with today’s weather report. It’s a typical day for Perdition. Temperature 110 degrees, […]

In 1971, various Christian denominations began modernizing our common liturgical texts. The Roman Catholic Church adopted some of the revisions. She has, however, kept the traditional form of the Lord’s Prayer. Protestants may ask forgiveness for their sins, but we Catholics still pray over trespasses. I’m glad. The word “trespass” better suits my daily struggles. […]

Acclaimed actress Helen Hayes knew tragedy as well as success. Her only daughter died at 19. Her husband’s grief drove him to alcohol abuse and an early death. Asthma ended her stage career. A friend asked her if she ever wondered, “Why me?” She responded, “Why not me?” I wonder how long it took that […]

  My daily prayers include petitions that I’ve been making for years. These aren’t enormous requests like world peace or a cure for cancer. I’m interceding for certain persons beset by illness or situations that never seem to improve. Sometimes praying for them gets really hard, and I’m sorely tempted to quit. There seems to […]

Recently, a friend told me that she always stumbles over the part of the Lord’s Prayer that says, “Lead us not into temptation.” She can’t believe God would deliberately tempt us, so why mention it? I agreed, but I couldn’t explain why the prayer is worded that way. So I hit the Internet. Google offers […]

Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. We’ll remember the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, looking like flames above their heads. But how often do we think about this third person of the Trinity, much less call upon him? He’s been part of us since baptism, yet the Holy Spirit remains the […]

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I didn’t observe Good Friday at my own parish this year. I had to attend a funeral, and another church was closer. I was a few minutes late, and the church was packed. People sat or stood by all the entrances. A hospitality minister brought a folding chair and settled me on the porch near […]