https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JznC5vZnGOQ&t=597s Sen. Warnock's 'altar call' begins at 12:00 (PBS NewsHour), Aug. 19, 2024. For a long time I've been saying the only thing that can lift us up out of our spiritual crisis in America is the transformative witness of the Black church. We had a vivid foretaste of what that might look like Monday … Continue reading Warnock’s inclusive, almost pastoral convention speech calls Democrats to work for peace and justice, to ‘heal the land’
How a Jesuit spiritual exercise and a dream are helping me struggle with an apocalyptic election year
Domenichino, St. Ignatius' vision at La Storta, 1622 (Wikimedia Commons). I'm not going to call what happened last night anything other than what it was: A dream. No heavenly light on the road to Damascus (not even New Berlin or Jacksonville). No visions of God the Father and God the Son bearing the Cross by … Continue reading How a Jesuit spiritual exercise and a dream are helping me struggle with an apocalyptic election year
12-step wisdom and a terrible, horrible, kinda good, maybe not-so-bad day halfway through chemotherapy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YOQbE692s8&t=266s Fr. Brendan McManus SJ, Gardiner Street Parish Dublin, recorded Oct. 25, 2020 As I reach the halfway point in chemotherapy this week, I'm making a special effort to take things one day at a time. So let me tell you about a terrible, horrible, maybe kinda good, not-so-bad-after-all day I had last week. As … Continue reading 12-step wisdom and a terrible, horrible, kinda good, maybe not-so-bad day halfway through chemotherapy
Praying only for the knowledge of God’s will and the strength to carry it out amid the ‘paradoxical tragedy-wonder of life’
Roman arch over the Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, November 2012 Overheard the other day in the infusion center at Southern Illinois University while I was headed toward the bathroom for the umpteenth time: NURSE 1: “He took his Lasix before he came in.” NURSE 2: “So he’s going to go wee, wee, wee all the way home?” I had a snappy comeback, but … Continue reading Praying only for the knowledge of God’s will and the strength to carry it out amid the ‘paradoxical tragedy-wonder of life’
Is Elon Musk egging on QAnon, or is he simply naive? Either way, he has no sense of media ethics whatsoever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti7LiO_QnRE David Axelrod: 'He said [political invective] gets the Brooklyn up in him.' Well, that certainly didn't take very long, did it? The Washington Post reports that Elon Musk's tweeted invective about US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband and White House infectious disease adviser Anthony Faucci has "injected new energy into the jumbled set of … Continue reading Is Elon Musk egging on QAnon, or is he simply naive? Either way, he has no sense of media ethics whatsoever
Practical ways on a Jesuit website in Ireland to ‘face into the storm’ of cancer diagnosis and treatment
Peter Paul Rubens, Miracle of St. Ignatius of Loyola (Wikimedia Commons) There's a story I really like in James Martin's Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life. An editor-at-large of America magazine who has written several New York Times best-sellers, Martin sets it up the by saying the Jesuits pride themselves on … Continue reading Practical ways on a Jesuit website in Ireland to ‘face into the storm’ of cancer diagnosis and treatment
‘What am I doing for Christ?’: An Ignatian triple colloquy F2F with Jesus via Zoom
Third in an occasional series of Ignatian colloquies ... Christ Pantocrator, Haiga Sophia, Istanbul, ca. 1080-1100 (Wikimedia Commons) Editor's (admin's) note. One of a series of posts in which I journal my attempts to incorporate Jesuit imaginative prayer exercises into my own prayer life. In today's, I try what is often known as the triple … Continue reading ‘What am I doing for Christ?’: An Ignatian triple colloquy F2F with Jesus via Zoom
New header picture of a Springfield yard sign conveys hopeful mood and message for a spiritual formation blog
We've got a new background picture today for Ordinary Time's header. It's one of four (so far) that rotate at the top of the home page, and I think it strikes just the right note for a blog devoted to a spiritual journey in nasty, uncertain times. It looks like this: We've been driving by … Continue reading New header picture of a Springfield yard sign conveys hopeful mood and message for a spiritual formation blog
A gallery of 18th-century Scottish and English regency men’s ponytails inspired by the pandemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDvp_KXB12s I don't know anything about this TV series -- other than what I learned from Wikipedia, which tells me it's about a time traveler who gets plopped down in the 1745 Jacobite rebellion in Scotland. But I know just enough about 18th-century men's hair styles to want to post this video clip to Ordinary … Continue reading A gallery of 18th-century Scottish and English regency men’s ponytails inspired by the pandemic
Early spring visit to Jubilee Farm and friendly rescue cat reawaken thoughts of stewardship and new beginnings
Grass beginning to green up at Jubilee Farm, Old Jacksonville Road. Genesis 2:8-9, 15 (NRSV) And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the … Continue reading Early spring visit to Jubilee Farm and friendly rescue cat reawaken thoughts of stewardship and new beginnings
I sing of Oley, glad and big: A eulogy to a beloved cat in a time of loss and grief
Olaf (Oley) Da Vinci, ca. 2006-March 13, 2022 Dogs [and cats] come into our lives to teach us about love. They depart to teach us about loss. A new dog [or cat] never replaces an old dog [or cat], it merely expands the heart [...] Erica Jong, viral email, quoted on Doobert.com animal rescue website. … Continue reading I sing of Oley, glad and big: A eulogy to a beloved cat in a time of loss and grief
‘Words of Life’ — emails for first faith formation class on the 10 Commandments, held online due to the pandemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WppMKwpXsQs&t=9s Editor's (admin's) note: Excerpts from emails sent to participants in a Sunday evening adult faith formation Zoom discussion that Debi and I are co-facilitating at our Lutheran church in Springfield, Illinois. It follows Words of Life: Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today, a book with supplemental material by the Rev. Adam … Continue reading ‘Words of Life’ — emails for first faith formation class on the 10 Commandments, held online due to the pandemic
Laudato Si’, climate change and intersectionality: Not really somebody else’s problem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d51EtDceF38&t=106s An ongoing discussion of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' is changing the way I think about intersectionality. It first came up several weeks ago in a Zoom dialog on the Laudato Si' Action Platform. The dialog, conducted by the Springfield Dominican Sisters' action program committee, would have been held at the motherhouse. It was … Continue reading Laudato Si’, climate change and intersectionality: Not really somebody else’s problem
Is there a theological basis for anti-vaxxer militancy in prophecies of end times?
Intriguing article on yesterday's Washington Post website by Michael Gerson, op ed columnist, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and occasional talking head on CNN. Gerson, who is an evangelical himself, dismisses anti-vaxxer assertions of religious exemptions to vaccine mandates as "heresy compounded by lunacy." This amounts, he says, to a "substitution of libertarianism … Continue reading Is there a theological basis for anti-vaxxer militancy in prophecies of end times?
A new (church) year’s resolution poses a question — is music ‘an agnostic’s spiritual practice?’ My answer: I don’t know yet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjAuBTLdqPg&t=18s Paula Bär-Giese, soprano; and Hans Meijer, lute, in character as Katie von Bora and Martin Luther, perform 'From heaven above I come' and 'A child is born in Bethlehem' agnostic (n.) 1870, "one who professes that the existence of a First Cause and the essential nature of things are not and cannot be known" … Continue reading A new (church) year’s resolution poses a question — is music ‘an agnostic’s spiritual practice?’ My answer: I don’t know yet
A spiritual journal for my birthday — looking back over this ‘festering boil of a year’ in 2020 and 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KkuoMs2MOI&list=PLrR4rlaGn2Ga5fsYl6vnCJsfU5wWeiofq&index=13 English folk singers usher out 'this festering boil of a year' (at 3:30) in December 2020. So look forward with hope to the twelvemonth a-coming, And away with this festering boil of a year; But the fire is still burning, and the world is still turning, And despite all its efforts, we're still bloody … Continue reading A spiritual journal for my birthday — looking back over this ‘festering boil of a year’ in 2020 and 2021
Connecting the dots between a gospel reading from Mark, the historical Jesus, St. Francis and monarch butterfly eggs
Brother Caterpillar and Sister Milkweed (photo Debi Edumnd Ellertsen). Mark 7 [NRSV]. Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2 they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless … Continue reading Connecting the dots between a gospel reading from Mark, the historical Jesus, St. Francis and monarch butterfly eggs
Now. Here. This. A kinda Zenlike mantra for a spiritual wannabe and aging 12-stepper exhausted by the pandemic
So Friday the Jesuit magazine America put an article up on its website with the rather sobering headline "Three Spiritual Exercises for Facing a Long Future with Covid-19." Not exactly what you want to see heading into the weekend, but it couldn't have come at a better time -- between the everlasting pandemic, the unfolding … Continue reading Now. Here. This. A kinda Zenlike mantra for a spiritual wannabe and aging 12-stepper exhausted by the pandemic
Upon this chipotle I will build my church and Covid shall not prevail against it — the Gospel according to St. AutoCorrect
A bit of levity on a grim topic Friday afternoon ... brought to you by one of those automatic spell-checking devices. And a moral to the story -- It's fun to have fun with typos, but we all need to be vaxxed. It started with a notice on the Capitol Fax blog, a portal maintained … Continue reading Upon this chipotle I will build my church and Covid shall not prevail against it — the Gospel according to St. AutoCorrect
canterbury cat pix
d r a f t Dean Robert Willis of Canterbury Cathedral and friend (screen shot from Irish Times story) xxx Leo, one of our cats, jumped onto the table in the middle of the service. And my instinct was to say, 'well, we better stop and do this again.' I didn't. I continued, and I … Continue reading canterbury cat pix
A viral cat video, the archbishop of Canterbury and the dean of the cathedral remind me of the imminence of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy43J76bIwE Global News, the news and current affairs division of the Global Television Network of Vancouver, B.C., reported in 2020: "One of Canterbury Cathedral’s cats, Tiger, helped itself to some milk during a morning message from Dean Robert Willis on July 6." Brought together by serendipity -- a lovely, do-able brief explanation of my favorite Jesuit … Continue reading A viral cat video, the archbishop of Canterbury and the dean of the cathedral remind me of the imminence of God
Covid-19 daily updates
CDC's COVID-19 by County dashboard -- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html llinois Department of Public Health map -- http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19 IDPH Region 3 resurgence criteria -- https://dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=3 Sangamon County Public Health Department -- https://scdph.org/covid-19/#sangamon-county-data-dashboard
What Luther said about the presence of God in his cabbage soup and why it matters
"Religionsgespräch [Colloquy] zu Marburg," Christian Karl August Noack, 1867 (Wikipedia) Seen on the unofficial ELCA discussion group's Facebook page, an allusion to Luther's comment "that God is [present] in his cabbage soup." I'd never seen it before, and I loved the quote! Hence this blog post, so I'll know where to look for it. Maybe … Continue reading What Luther said about the presence of God in his cabbage soup and why it matters
The historical Jesus and the Christ of faith on a dark and stormy night (Pentecost IV)
Bread and wine for Holy Communion on Galilee tour boat Mark 4 (NRSV): 35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm … Continue reading The historical Jesus and the Christ of faith on a dark and stormy night (Pentecost IV)
Theologian N.T. Wright rethinks ‘multi-ethnic, polychrome, mutually supportive’ early church, justification by faith
"Century Marks," Christian Century, April 21, 2021, p. 8. We're still quarantining magazines as they come into the house, and when I was going through them last night, a billboarded pull quote from British theologian N.T. Wright in a back issue of Christian Century jumped up off the page, snuggled up to me and wanted … Continue reading Theologian N.T. Wright rethinks ‘multi-ethnic, polychrome, mutually supportive’ early church, justification by faith
A dissent on the ‘assertion of imaginary freedoms’ in Trump’s Supreme Court, by an English major turned jailhouse lawyer and armchair historian
“It was all Mrs. Bumble. She would do it," urged Mr. Bumble; first looking round, to ascertain that his partner had left the room.That is no excuse," returned Mr. Brownlow. "You were present on the occasion of the destruction of these trinkets, and, indeed, are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of … Continue reading A dissent on the ‘assertion of imaginary freedoms’ in Trump’s Supreme Court, by an English major turned jailhouse lawyer and armchair historian
How a trip to the eye doctor’s and the Serenity Prayer renewed my interest in Turlough O’Carolan, the blind Irish harper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xInuesYrUPA Steve Cooney's arrangement of 'Si Bheag Si Mohr' (Carolan's melody begins at 1:32). It started with a visit to the eye doctor's back in October, when the case positivity rate for Covid-19 was low enough to allow for routine medical appointments. My eye test came back with signs of the very beginnings of something … Continue reading How a trip to the eye doctor’s and the Serenity Prayer renewed my interest in Turlough O’Carolan, the blind Irish harper
‘Christ was born in Bethlehem’ — an Appalachian ballad that sums up Holy Week and the Easter season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzmzb1ZyL6c Norm Williams, Amanda Parker and Bob Mallalieu, Maidencreek Festival, Maier's Grove, Blandon, Pa., Aug. 29, 2010 (song begins at 1:29). Our services for Holy Week are all online this year, and it's quite a different experience for someone who always sang in the choir and couldn't quite shake the feeling they were performances. I … Continue reading ‘Christ was born in Bethlehem’ — an Appalachian ballad that sums up Holy Week and the Easter season
How to make some pretty good soup in a global pandemic (with apologies to Simon Ortiz and Nora Dauenhauer)
It's best made in dry-fish camp on a beach by afish stream on sticks over an open fire, or duringfishing, or during cannery season.In this case, we'll make it in the city baked inan electric oven on a black fry pan. [...]-- Nora Dauenhauer, "How to Make Good Baked Salmon from the River" When I … Continue reading How to make some pretty good soup in a global pandemic (with apologies to Simon Ortiz and Nora Dauenhauer)
Can the free exercise clause be used to establish white Christian religious norms? We may be about to find out
[Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that although not commonly attributed to him has echoed through … Continue reading Can the free exercise clause be used to establish white Christian religious norms? We may be about to find out
Connecting the dots for Lent III on covenants, the destruction of the temple and the Church of the Nativity
Editor's (admin's) Note. Third of ___* Lenten meditations based on lectionary readings on the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Moses. This one riffs on the Ten Commandments and the passage in the Gospel of St. John where Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. 'My father's house' -- Church of the Nativity, … Continue reading Connecting the dots for Lent III on covenants, the destruction of the temple and the Church of the Nativity
A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal
Editor's (admin's) Note. Second of ___ Lenten meditations based on lectionary readings on the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Moses. This one takes off from the covenant of Abraham, makes a quick stop in Puritan New England and deplanes in today's central Illinois. Clearing skies over Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, November 2012 Mark 8 … Continue reading A Lenten meditation on covenants, a Christian nationalist lynch mob, green bananas and a book proposal
Advent festival at Sewanee: ‘Comfort, comfort ye …,’ but there’s a catch: We’ve got to act on the things that give us comfort
Screen shot from Sewanee's website. Click HERE to watch video of this year's Festival of Lessons and Carols (on YouTube) ... and HERE for bulletin with lyrics. One of the silver linings to sheltering in place during the Covid-19 pandemic has been re-establishing connection with old friends on social media ... and, through them, nostalgia … Continue reading Advent festival at Sewanee: ‘Comfort, comfort ye …,’ but there’s a catch: We’ve got to act on the things that give us comfort
Reflections on prayer in the parking lot of a walk-in clinic during a time of pandemic
It's a perfect late fall afternoon, blustery with tufts of white cloud scudding past in a blue sky. Temperature in the 40s, but enough sunshine coming through the windshield that I don't have the car heater on while I'm waiting in the HSHS PromptCare walk-in clinic's parking lot on MacArthur. This is how we do … Continue reading Reflections on prayer in the parking lot of a walk-in clinic during a time of pandemic
After the tumult, a moment of peace … and a moment for peacemakers
St. John's Episcopal-Lafayette Square in background. Business Insider, Nov. 7, 2020. It's been quite a week for peacemakers! Sunday, Nov. 1, was All Saints' Day, and the assigned gospel reading was the version of the Beatitudes in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Including this (which isn't in Luke's version): "Blessed are the peacemakers, for … Continue reading After the tumult, a moment of peace … and a moment for peacemakers
Next year in Jersusalem? Keeping the faith in a time of pandemic, absence and exile
Everydayness in Jerusalem -- stray cat surveys his domain in the Old City. A couple of days ago we brought several weeks' worth of magazines in from the garage, where we quarantine our incoming mail. So I've been binge-reading the Christian Century, and an article from the Oct. 7 issue reached out and grabbed me. … Continue reading Next year in Jersusalem? Keeping the faith in a time of pandemic, absence and exile
Debriefing ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ — notes and a copy of the script for my Oct. 7 ALPLM presentation on acculturation and creolization
Presenting my paper to ALPLM's virtual Conference on Illinois History. Some ideas and observations that came to me presenting my paper, "Swedes in Roger Williams' Garden: Acculturation in Immigrant Churches, 1848-1860" at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum's annual Conference on Illinois History. Plus a couple of pictures -- including a very nice picture … Continue reading Debriefing ‘Swedes in Roger Williams’ Garden’ — notes and a copy of the script for my Oct. 7 ALPLM presentation on acculturation and creolization
Rethinking grief, detachment, the Book of Job and the engravings of William Blake (!) in a time of pandemic
William Blake, Illustrations of the Book of Job, Plate 21 William Blake has never been exactly my cup of tea. When it comes to English Romantic poets, I'm more of a Byron and Wordsworth guy, and I like cats too much to get much pleasure out of thinking about Blake's tiger "burning bright, / In the … Continue reading Rethinking grief, detachment, the Book of Job and the engravings of William Blake (!) in a time of pandemic
Serendipity
"There are people walking so softly ahead of us we don't even perceive them." - Mike Anderson, singer-songwriter and storyteller of Jacksonville, Ill. OK, let's get something established right off the bat: This post isn't going to be about little miracles, divine Providence or God's intervention in my daily life. To the extent I even … Continue reading Serendipity
Looking ahead to Advent, Christmas and a season of grief in a time of pandemic
I shared this article to Facebook, am linking it here for future reference ... Nathan Kirkpatrick "It's time to talk about Advent in a pandemic," Faith & Leadership, Duke Divinity School, Sept. 1, 2020 https://faithandleadership.com/nathan-kirkpatrick-its-time-talk-about-advent-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR0wSZUHEb75lTnB1kOg7NfHwvDeeN2A33ha1WYj9WvGy9-woHVKIacDEBw. Nathan Kirkpatrick is managing director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity EXCERPTS: A colleague posted to Facebook last week that his … Continue reading Looking ahead to Advent, Christmas and a season of grief in a time of pandemic
‘Letting grace renew us’ — a little book by a Swedish dean of Harvard Divinity and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QviA2iOsOo Gott ist gegenwärtig [God himself is present]. Heilig-Geist-Kirche, Menden, Germany When we got our mail out of quarantine earlier this week, a little volume by Krister Stendahl titled Energy for Life: Reflections on the Theme "Come Holy Spirit -- Renew the Whole Creation" tumbled out. Perhaps I should explain. The mail wasn't directed to … Continue reading ‘Letting grace renew us’ — a little book by a Swedish dean of Harvard Divinity and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit
Word, sacrament, a Lutheran chorale and reading the bible: Lessons from a Swedish immigrant church in Chicago during a time of cholera
First phrase of chorale by Philipp Nicolai Svenska Psalmbok (1819), Nos. 55, 412. O Gud! ditt ord och sakramentLåt aldrig bliva från oss vändt ...-- Svenska Psalmbok (1819), No. 412, v. 6[O God, let your word and sacrament / never be turned away from us ...] No doubt it's just a coincidence, but since I … Continue reading Word, sacrament, a Lutheran chorale and reading the bible: Lessons from a Swedish immigrant church in Chicago during a time of cholera
Spiritual journal for August — further thoughts on Word and sacrament in a time of pandemic
Email sent today to my spiritual director, lightly edited. Since it quotes extensively from this blog (and WordPress isn't letting me do block quotations the way I want to), I am putting my email message in lightface italics and leaving quoted material in Roman type. Hi Sister -- [* * *] Not very much to … Continue reading Spiritual journal for August — further thoughts on Word and sacrament in a time of pandemic
Loaves, fishes and Luther’s concept of the Word as sacrament: How do you do church when you can’t go to church? (Pentecost IX)
Byzantine columns at Church of the Multiplication (Brotvermehrungskirche), Galilee. Matthew 14 (NRSV): ... 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the … Continue reading Loaves, fishes and Luther’s concept of the Word as sacrament: How do you do church when you can’t go to church? (Pentecost IX)
‘Dinner church’ pastor: When you can’t go to church, look around you
Emily M.D. Scott, "If the Church Door Is Closed, Find the Sacred on the Road," New York Times, 19 July 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/opinion/if-the-church-door-is-closed-find-the-sacred-on-the-road.html Excerpts: Priests and pastors across the church have been grasping for metaphors to help us make sense of this time away from the table, and one another. Some have framed it as a … Continue reading ‘Dinner church’ pastor: When you can’t go to church, look around you
Spiritual direction — journal for June
Copy of email (lightly edited) sent yesterday to my spiritual director, summarizing what I've been trying to do in the past month and suggesting an agenda for our next session. Jun 19, 2020, 7:44 PM Hi, Sister -- Just a note to confirm our spiritual direction meeting at 2:30 p.m. and give you a general … Continue reading Spiritual direction — journal for June
A sustainable ‘new normal’? Maybe, with a little help from the Holy Spirit — stray thoughts for Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
Video clip prepared for Pentecost Sunday service. Offer valid at any time. It's been a brutal spring for everybody, but -- for reasons I can't quite explain -- lately I've felt like maybe we're beginning to turn a corner. It's been three months now since Debi and I went into quarantine just as the COVID-19 … Continue reading A sustainable ‘new normal’? Maybe, with a little help from the Holy Spirit — stray thoughts for Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
Of outward signs, inward grace and Pastor Nadia’s prayer for a time of pandemic when the sacraments can’t be celebrated
Screenshot from Pastor Nadia's FB post. Click HERE for permalink. Click HERE for text. Sometimes you find exactly what you need at exactly the right moment, and you don't know why. Serendipity? Coincidence? The Holy Spirit at work? In 12-step recovery meetings, sometimes you'll hear the old-timers say a coincidence is what you call it … Continue reading Of outward signs, inward grace and Pastor Nadia’s prayer for a time of pandemic when the sacraments can’t be celebrated
Tips from a Harvard Business Review item on grief and a poet’s advice on the medieval sin of sloth in a time of global pandemic
We've been catching up on reading magazines lately, and I saw something in a back issue of Christian Century that made a lot of sense. (We're playing catchup because we're "quarantining" our mail till we know more about how long the COVID-19 bug lives on surfaces. Debi stacks it up in the garage and doesn't … Continue reading Tips from a Harvard Business Review item on grief and a poet’s advice on the medieval sin of sloth in a time of global pandemic
Spiritual direction — seeking a ‘new normal’ during a global pandemic
Since I started spiritual direction a couple of years ago, I've emailed my spiritual director ahead of our monthly sessions ... summing up what I've been journaling about since our last meeting and, more to the point, getting a little focus on themes I've been working on and, more to the point, new directions that … Continue reading Spiritual direction — seeking a ‘new normal’ during a global pandemic
Throwing an inkpot at the virus? Some wisdom for a brutal time from a 14th-century mystic, Luther’s catechism and a Buddhist meditation
https://www.facebook.com/peacelutheranspringfield/posts/1102830350102257?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARByBlc4lICuCA3vbsOF2dLVNReMDsC3fJcGbrDztTKMxNo7Yvk36ysoFlDJzD0AjhazR37AdoCzxxZuDHgOSTeU7wMNZJHOH4NtVU1vEuxxIwp9X1x2a19pJQVTjJnwIv3-6xgaRxMzac51V9kC0Nc-IibArTGMvuSMLvgucLkZnsDmGFSNt_1y3ASEsoUy4YJflA7EPxMscK0Krt4-gFeyXndJBtF2EB_U0FLgYzTAs2kKZJcY1Yz_eSP_WFFUAF2iavb-HNYUJB2NiykhTFtg_HIshv8sgl5pzaoWylvBsKc6RfHEQRW80RZqYw9YSQDt_pIyYn7tGa5tR7ctiBH-wDWfaixAwBPL-N-1OVwkIm-4c4BZQsMIl2KnDd2JTJT2GulOxnrb-v7BLrlgEMmAWQl8VRDd0ZO79BEaS06LXV1M0GBYaobP72iKPquEZ01ByNdcjrQPHDM44Qjnwk_wqr6ZsSJpMstVjOSInMRHw4PWO-87Zw&__tn__=-R Mostly I do church online these days, like most of my relationships in self-quarantine, and last week Peace Lutheran shared a passage on Facebook from the 14th-century mystical writer Julian of Norwich. I was feeling down -- frightened might be a more accurate word -- after two and a half months of the COVID-19 … Continue reading Throwing an inkpot at the virus? Some wisdom for a brutal time from a 14th-century mystic, Luther’s catechism and a Buddhist meditation
‘The UK Blessing’ — in a time of fear and political rancor, a virtual choir calls, gathers, enlightens and makes us holy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUtll3mNj5U&fbclid=IwAR1A_TK23D99XEordzKjoE_uhYP7qNlMJO6T54d8QBxXLMREi5sREyrBNQA The UK Blessing -- 992,403 views (as of Monday night, May 4) -- Premiered May 3, 2020 This weekend marked the two-month anniversary of the day I went into voluntary self-quarantine when I got out of the hospital. As luck would have (good luck, for a change), a virtual choir video came out to … Continue reading ‘The UK Blessing’ — in a time of fear and political rancor, a virtual choir calls, gathers, enlightens and makes us holy
Easter 2020: A technophobe ‘finds Christ in hidden and unexpected places’
To say Easter was different this year would be an understatement -- like saying it was kinda nice when the Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series. Growing up in the Episcopal church, I thought of Easter Sunday as a day of obligation, along with Christmas and Whitsunday, when you had to go to church … Continue reading Easter 2020: A technophobe ‘finds Christ in hidden and unexpected places’
Presiding Bishop Eaton’s pastoral message for Sunday (Lent V): 1. These dry bones will live. 2. Stay home. Shelter in place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzrxzAPeu2g Bishop Eaton | March 28, 2020 | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Food for thought (or, better yet, for prayer and meditation). Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit this month in full force, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has been posting homilies, or messages, to YouTube. This one, addressed … Continue reading Presiding Bishop Eaton’s pastoral message for Sunday (Lent V): 1. These dry bones will live. 2. Stay home. Shelter in place.
Brother Richard’s “Lockdown,” a Zen moment in this time of coronavirus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x25DwatvjA&t=51s MBPPC Backyard Preacher | Mt. Baker Park Presbyterian Church, Seattle | March 17, 2020 Anderson Cooper closed the CNN News town hall he co-hosted tonight with Dr. Sanjay Gupta by reading a poem by Brother Richard Hendrick, OSF (Capuchin), of County Donegal in Ireland. It's titled "Lockdown"; it has been widely circulated on the … Continue reading Brother Richard’s “Lockdown,” a Zen moment in this time of coronavirus
Can’t take communion in the time of coronavirus? Pray. Can’t go to church? Pray. Be persistent in prayer.
How do you do church when you can't go to church? Before the COVID-19 outbreak came to town, I didn't realize how much of my spiritual life centered on going to church. Now, after two weeks of "social distancing," it's causing me to reassess. As usual, my first reaction to social distancing was a wisecrack. … Continue reading Can’t take communion in the time of coronavirus? Pray. Can’t go to church? Pray. Be persistent in prayer.
Short takes and prayers for ‘tireless health care workers, whistle-blowing first responders, rumpled, righteous public servants, empiricism, epidemiology and vaccines’; also for precinct election judges
CDC advisory for Higher Risk & Special Populations, March 6, 2019. Some quick takes on what it might be like to live in a pandemic. At the moment, it looks like I may be getting a little taste of it already -- I'm receiving post-hospitalization home health care, which has restrictions similar to a quarantine, … Continue reading Short takes and prayers for ‘tireless health care workers, whistle-blowing first responders, rumpled, righteous public servants, empiricism, epidemiology and vaccines’; also for precinct election judges
Wisdom from the 1928 Episcopal prayer book, a Jesuit author and a punk rocker-rabbi — with links to common-sense advice on getting ready for a pandemic
Editor's note (March 3). Draft of a post I wrote at the end of February, when it first became apparent the new coronavirus outbreak was about to blossom into a worldwide pandemic. Then, on Saturday night, when I was putting the finishing touches on it, I got sick and was admitted to St. John's Hospital … Continue reading Wisdom from the 1928 Episcopal prayer book, a Jesuit author and a punk rocker-rabbi — with links to common-sense advice on getting ready for a pandemic
Ordinary Time 