In 2011 we inaugurated The Manton Memorial Organ. Built by Pascal Quoirin of St. Didier, France, it is the first French-built organ ever installed in New York City, and is already widely considered one of the most significant organs of our time. Full-length recitals are given throughout the year by some of the greatest organist in the world. In addition to the concerts, we
To understand the Gospel reading for today, you really have to go back and read the beginning of the chapter. Jesus heals a man who has been ill for 38 years. He says, “Stand up, take your mat and walk,” and so he does. When the Jews find out that Jesus was the one who had cured the man, they persecute him for doing
My Dad is a retired country veterinarian from northwest Iowa. I have many fond memories of traveling with him while on call across the countryside. The most memorable experiences were watching him “pull a calf,” which means helping the mother cow deliver her baby calf. As the words suggest, the procedure involved a lot of physical work and careful attention to the cow and
This year I hear the story in John’s Gospel of Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda in a new way. Not as a miracle of physical healing, not as history of “the perfidy of the Jews,” but as a story of the healing of mind and spirit. I hear the echo of Jesus’ fundamental teachings: Love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself.
For a penitential season, today’s passages are downright cheerful. We need that. There is an old tradition, connected with the Latin Liturgy for Easter Even: “O felix culpa, quia talem ac tantum meruit habere remptorem!” “O fortunate sin, because it merited such, even so great, a Redeemer!” No Easter without Good Friday: no Good Friday without Easter. Enter various unnerving thoughts. This paradox of
I wake up to Life each day worried, confused and even beaten. Why? Why? Why? I mutter to myself. I want answers. I want The Answer. And I want it now. I turn on TV and CNN. I read The New York Times. I reach for the smartphone and read blogs, newsletters and emails. I dial that phone to speak to…
I can just hear the frustration in God’s voice: “Oh Israel, if you would but listen to me! … And yet my people did not hear my voice, and Israel would not obey me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts, to follow their own devices. Oh, that my people would listen to me!” I want to follow God, to
I am blessed living in NYC. The environment and culture makes this an exciting place to reside. Yet, our lives are filled with clamoring people who relish in causing confusion and division amongst us, especially during this election cycle. It can be very overwhelming. We can easily lose our way to those negative voices around us but today’s passages reminds us of one thing
During this 40 days of reflection before Easter I have been trying to lead a more interior life. That is to say, more time alone, more time in prayer and meditation. As often happens when we actually take the time to be with God, wonderful snippets of inspiration come our way. This is an inspired quote and inspirational goal from T.T. Carter, a Victorian
Forgiveness comes up with some regularity in the Bible. Did God forgive Nebuchadnezzar for sending those three into the fiery furnace? In the Psalm we ask God for guidance, assistance and mercy. Please forget my sins! In the verses from Matthew, Peter asks Jesus, “How shall I forgive someone who sinned against me?” The answer is forgiveness must be genuine and boundless. I find