Today’s Gospel lesson used to bother me. The disciples are unable to cure a boy possessed by an evil spirit and Jesus’ response is that only prayer could have cast it out. I felt bad for the disciples. Try as they might, they are unsuccessful at healing the boy and Jesus throws a curve ball at them by saying they didn’t have all of
“Why art thou cast down, o my soul?” “Hope in God.” Too fast and too simple. We have to acknowledge our problems, really deal with them, and this is painful. An old tradition interprets the Song of Solomon as a love story, a romance between Christ and the soul, Christ and the Church, or both. Psyche, a 1648 poem by Joseph Beaumont, presents this
For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life. We can only gain a true meaning to life by accepting the Word that Christ has taught us. Material things, while giving a temporary pleasure, cannot give us everlasting life. Only by accepting the Word of the Lord can we actually achieve the true meaning of life. We achieve
I feel the readings for today point to the sad fact that it takes a lifetime of experiences for us to grasp even a faint notion of the depth and breadth of God’s divine love and forgiveness. Joseph’s brothers never seemed to connect the dots. The Psalmist lays out a basic formula for enlightenment that has challenged all succeeding generations; “The unfolding of your
Many of you know that I grew up in rural Iowa. My experiences there were so different than my life now. Of course I’m older, but living in an agricultural environment is very different than living in the fast paced urban environment that I live in now. Here there are several restaurants on every block, access to mass transit that will take you anywhere
Recently, news reached me of the sudden death of a relatively younger man, who had been a worker at the Senior Center at the First Presbyterian Church. William had always been a cheerful and energetic person, whether he was setting up or breaking down tables and chairs, ladling food onto trays, or bringing trays to the disabled and immobile members; he was always handy
In reading the scriptural passages for today, I’m reminded of a Hebrew word: KAVANAH. It means intention or direction of the heart when one is engaged in prayer or sacred ritual. I think Jesus and Paul are admonishing their respective audiences to be mindful of Kavanah. Jesus seems impatient with the Pharisees for holding fast to the traditions of the elders because in doing
Over the past two millennia, human innovation has brought about miraculous technological advances. These technologies have improved our health, lengthened the duration of our lives, connected us with each other, and made daily life significantly more convenient. As a result, one would expect that the "race" Paul refers to in today’s epistle would have become considerably easier to compete in. A quick glance at
While reading my scriptures for this devotional and searching for inspiration online, I came across the website www.praythepsalms.com and the following prayer by Mark D. Roberts. It is a simple, beautiful prayer that we can reflect on — not only during Lent but in our everyday lives. It is easy to get so caught up in our daily lives that we lose track of
Fascinating stories headline today’s readings. We begin with the middle section of the story of Joseph from Genesis, picking up at the point where Joseph has become rich and powerful in Egypt. He receives the brothers who betrayed him with equanimity and offers them gifts and riches to return to Canaan and bring their father, Jacob, to him in Egypt. Forgiveness in the face