Icon of the Resurrection of Christ. Image may be subject to copyright What images does homecoming call to mind?  A student coming home for the first time since leaving for studies.  A soldier coming home after a long and dangerous deployment.  A family, after a while apart, being able to come together for a holiday celebration.  Young parents bringing their newborn son to meet his grandparents for the first time.  Dear friends meeting up for some time together.  A child who had been lost in addiction but now sober being welcomed back home.  A tired spouse mak ..read more

Image may be subject to copyright Good Friday invites us to stand in that place where Jesus stood.  In Isaiah 50:5-6 we hear of this place from the very mouth of the suffering servant.  And I have not rebelled, have not turned back.  I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. In the Garden of Eden, through pride, we rebelled, and we turned back from God’s will for us, but Jesus does neither.  In his passion and in the fullness of his humanity, Jesus stands in that place where we failed.&n ..read more

This image may be subject to copyright. In his recent homily (found on Word on Fire) for the third Sunday of Lent, Bishop Robert Barron offers succinct reflections on each of the Ten Commandments.  He rightly (I believe) connects the breaking of the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” with the sin of calumny.  Calumny, the willful spreading of false statements about another person in order to damage their reputation, is rife within our society and given safe haven, it seems, especially on social media.  Bishop Barron, both in his insight ..read more

Image may be subject to copyright. In their presentation of the temptation of Jesus, Luke and Matthew lean on the imagery of Israel’s experience of the forty years in the desert.  Luke and Matthew present Jesus as the new Israel, the Israel who remains faithful to God’s covenant.  Mark – on the other hand – in his two short verses (Mk. 1:12-14) draws on a different source.  Mark goes to the very beginning of creation and draws on the imagery of Jesus as the new Adam.  Jesus, we are told, is “among wild beasts” not in fear and trepidation but rather walking freely in their m ..read more

Image may be subject to copyright. At one point in his book, “Jesus, Present Before Me,” Fr. Peter John Cameron shares the story of a young priest who served as a chaplain to Ground Zero immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11th.  One of the duties the priest had was serving in the makeshift morgue that was set up in a tent to receive the remains of the victims.  It is easy to imagine the frenzied activity and the number of busy rescue workers intent on their mission but what the priest found amazing was that whenever a new body would arrive at the tent all the work ..read more

“Andrew taking Simon to meet Jesus” by Mary Evans. Image may be subject to copyright.  Holiness is not stingy.  This is my learning from the Advent and Christmas seasons.  When I placed myself in prayer in the manger scene, Joseph and Mary did not just allow me to gaze upon the child, they welcomed me to hold the babe in my own arms.  They did not hesitate in inviting me to hold the child.  When I watched as Simeon and Anna rejoiced in encountering the newborn Messiah in the Temple, they both welcomed me into that joy and hope fulfilled.  When I prayed over Matthew’s a ..read more

Image may be subject to copyright The other day I was listening to the “Voices of Greater Yellowstone” podcast.  The current episode is an interview with the wildlife photographer Ronan Donovan and his sharing about the use of images to tell stories.  At one point in the interview the subject of awe was discussed and the photographer, sharing from his experience of travelling to some of the remotest regions of the world and having amazing encounters with wildlife, shared that he believes awe (this is my paraphrase) is connected to those moments when we forget self and are caught up i ..read more

Christ healing woman with a flow of blood. Catacombs of Marcellinus and Peter. Rome, 4th century. Image may be subject to copyright.  There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.  She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had.  Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.  She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.  She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”  Immediately her flow of blood dried up.  She felt in her body that she was healed of her afflic ..read more

In my office hangs a painting by the artist Janet McKenzie.  The painting is entitled, “Mother and Child” but knowing the artist’s tradition of depicting the Holy Family via marginalized peoples and groups, I easily see within the painting a depiction of Mary and the young Jesus.  Here is what I see in the painting.  The young Jesus’ eyes are turned downward towards a flower he holds in his hands.  He does not look forward.  His time of mission has not yet arrived.  He is now in the quiet time of growing and learning the hope and faith of the people of Israel and ..read more

Image may be subject to copyright Once, when I was assigned in Chattanooga, I had the experience of driving by the regional airport just as Air Force One took off in flight.  The president had been in the city promoting an industry and now he was leaving for his next destination.  The sight of the plane filled my car window as it was directly in front of me and only a couple of hundred feet above me.  Air Force One certainly grabs your attention and this is intentional.  The plane is a visual statement about the power and the authority of the President of the United States ..read more