VIEW FROM THE PEW Of all the experiences of these many weeks of staying separate and feeling fearful, none has underscored the stark mindset of quarantine than hunching over the computer screen watching Mass being said in a nearly empty church. Nothing has made me feel more isolated than singing “alleluia” as a solo in […]
Mary Adamski: Contemplating the long road to Easter
VIEW FROM THE PEW It’s almost a given that talking about plans for the long road ahead toward Easter will be about the “give ups.” Even Pope Francis discussed giving up personal electronics and social media during Lent. I was going to joke about exempting myself briefly from a vow to give up pastries because […]
Mary Adamski – The beatitudes: a path to true happiness
VIEW FROM THE PEW Familiar words about fostering peace, justice and human rights spoken at a recent church service held a crowd enrapt and silent, and later exuberantly noisy when those sentiments were reflected in historical spiritual songs. It was only fitting that we focused on the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. […]
Mary Adamski: These days of December
VIEW FROM THE PEW Oh, happy day, the nativity scene is finally up and we can bask in the glow of tree lights amid the imagery of the birth in Bethlehem. While the music makes our spirits soar, take deep breaths and let the frenzy of shopping lists, mailing deadlines, meeting expectations, maybe sadness or […]
Mary Adamski: Contemplating death and dire things
View from the pew I was looking every which way to avoid the topic of this week. Feeling guilty that I should even talk about giving thanks, I should confess all the times I fail to do that, or mouth thanks but with an insincere or ungrateful heart … and that’s just in the past […]
Mary Adamski: Of bones, memories and the weary pilgrim
VIEW FROM THE PEW Relics have been on my mind lately. I’m in a meditative mood not a morbid one as I think about our human tendency to hold onto a memory, a piece of history by clinging to a thing. It’s not just me reviewing my clutter, our landscape is full of memorials and […]
Mary Adamski: Words of love
VIEW FROM THE PEW The priest at a recent Mass invited us to look away from him during the homily and focus on the oldtime visual aid, a stained glass window depicting the Good Samaritan parable. It’s classic religious art, vibrant colors for the well-dressed good guy and languishing robbery victim on the ground — […]
Mary Adamski: ‘When through the woods and forest glades I wander’
VIEW FROM THE PEW What was that scary movie with those kids running in the forest trying to escape something awful and the trees and bushes seemed ominously reaching out to grab them? I saw it years ago and it replayed as a dream on a recent hot windless night maybe triggered by an overhanging […]
Mary Adamski: Imagine Hawaii without immigrants
VIEW FROM THE PEW There was a piquant hint of exotic cultural flavor adding nuance to heavier undertones of current events that made our feast the successful fusion sought by its creative chefs. Oops, I was trying to mock the pretentious tone of a trendy foodie reviewer but that didn’t work. I should just say […]
Mary Adamski: All are welcome
VIEW FROM THE PEW It’s a favorite gathering hymn, so we really put our hearts, souls and voices into a robust rendition of “All Are Welcome” at a recent interfaith service. Marty Haugen’s lyrics are about the gathering place “where love can dwell and all can safely live … hearts learn to forgive … built […]
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