Then ”type” content of about three lines…after hit ”Publish” on top ..read more

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For centuries, artists in the Eastern Christian world painted pictures of Christ, Mary, the apostles, saints, and events in the Bible. They were called “icons” and are meant to instill and deepen people’s faith. One very popular icon was the one of the “metamorphosis” of Christ (which we call his “Transfiguration”.) A version of this event is read on the second Sunday of Lent every year, and commemorates the time when Peter, James, and John saw Jesus changed in their presence. His face and clothing became dazzlingly bright, with God telling them Jesus was his Son and they should listen to Hi ..read more

After his baptism at the Jordan, Jesus is led by the Spirit to go into the desert to be tempted. In the desert, Jesus chooses the identity that will anchor and guide all the decisions of his life, giving flesh and meaning to the title “Son of God.” What does it mean to be Son of God, and what does it not mean? It means that Jesus accepts his relationship to God as the center of his life. It does not mean using his power to compel the belief of others or to provide only for his own needs and desires. In the desert Jesus shows that knows where he comes from (God his Father) and what he has bee ..read more

We can often think of the Bible as a book of instructions about how to live, but it is also a book of important questions we need to think about. One such question occurs in the third chapter of Genesis, when one afternoon God comes to the Garden of Eden to walk with Adam and Eve. But they are missing, so God calls out, here are you?” As they come out of hiding, dressed in clothing made from leaves, they tell God they’d been hiding because they were naked and ashamed to admit they’d disobeyed God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We may think thi ..read more

We can often think of the Bible as a book of instructions about how to live, but it is also a book of important questions we need to think about. One such question occurs in the third chapter of Genesis, when one afternoon God comes to the Garden of Eden to walk with Adam and Eve. But they are missing, so God calls out, “Where are you?” As they come out of hiding, dressed in clothing made from leaves, they tell God they’d been hiding because they were naked and ashamed to admit they’d disobeyed God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We may think th ..read more

This first week of the New Year, many people will make resolutions they want to keep during the coming twelve months. Some people will decide to ADD something to their lives, like exercising more or reading more or keeping up on the news each day. Others may decide to ELIMINATE something, like smoking or high calorie desserts or gossiping or complaining. These are resolutions to give up something or other. There is another kind of resolution, however, and that is the resolution to KEEP DOING something, neither adding nor eliminating something. For instance, some years ago I began to say a ..read more

Christmas is about the gift that God gives us in Jesus, his Son —- God’s great Christmas present. And like any Christmas gift, it is given and received in three stages. First, the giver selects something he or she thinks will express the giver’s affection, esteem, or love for the person receiving it. Two thousand years ago, God chose to give us his only Son to be one of us. He could give no better gift. Then the person being given the gift has to accept it, unpack it or otherwise open it and see how to use it or enjoy it. So, we have to unwrap the gift that is Jesus, examine its value and be ..read more

I’m sending this to wish you and all those you love my greetings for this Christmas and New Year. I want to let you know that, this summer, I was assigned to live at the Jesuit retirement community, and moved there about three months ago. Part of the reason was my age (76 years old as of July) and the other reason was that over the last several years I have suffered a few falls. The facility can be accessed through googling St. Camillus Jesuit community in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. I want you to know that my spirits are good, that I feel very much at home here, and retain my ability to drive, so ..read more

St. Augustine believed that life could be seen as a lifelong acting out of our fundamental desires. If that is true, then the season of Advent can be when we reflect on our fundamental desires. We may think that we have many desires, but they may be rooted in one or two more basic ones. For instance, a person who seems to be fixated on wealth or power may, underneath, be motivated by his or her desire to be secure and safe from the vagaries of life. A person whose desire in life is to be perfect and without flaw or weakness may, more basically, be desiring to be admired or loved. Someone w ..read more