St. Matthew begins his account of the Transfiguration with a calendar note. “Six days later,” he starts off. (1) This means that we need to hold onto what took place six days earlier. Remember when Jesus led his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi and asked them “Who do you say that I am?” It is there that we hear Peter’s confession “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus speaks of those images that will accrue to Peter because of this blessed knowledge: “

Homily in English and Spanish A friend of mine is a dietician. She is an expert in the treatment of eating disorders and other health issues often related to a person’s relationship with food. A few years ago, she mentioned to me some of the problems that many people experience when they hear about fasting from food during Lent. She cautioned me that while the practice of the Church, as expressed in official documents, are quite reasonable and healthy practices, many people w

The Word of God we hear today confronts us with a profound and awful truth: We are free, and our freedom matters. God says something that feels both terrifying and liberating: "I have placed before you fire and water; good and evil; life and death and you must stretch out your hand and choose." This choice is real. It is not manipulated, pre-ordained, or “given.” God does not place a thumb on the scale, load the dice, or throw a penalty flag before the play. Holiness is not f

Dear Preachers, what follows is not a homily, but rather some thoughts, incomplete and inadequate as they are, on preaching in this time of divisive civil and religious disruption. I am not a pastor. I do not have to make the daily choices you must make to keep your community engaged, stable, and spiritually alive. I offer these thoughts because the question, " How do we preach the Beatitudes and Isaiah 58 in this season?" will not go away. The passage from Isaiah is challen

The Beatitudes all open with the familiar word, “Blessed.” Those who endure oppression and hardships as well as those who are of Christ-like character …both are called blessed. The trials and tribulations include those who remain in grief, mourning some devastating loss. But those who are poor in spirit are also named as blessed. On the other hand, we live in a world where to be “blessed” means to be filled with the means for happy lives. With such blessings we can achieve pr

In many ways, this call story is like every other call story. It begins with an unexpected invitation, and ends with a risky decision, a leap of faith, and some baggage left behind. Every call story I have ever heard starts with God’s initiative, and ends with men and women who are willing to take a chance. It is tempting to see this Gospel passage as a story only about Jesus and James and John. After all, James and John dropped everything-- fishing nets, family, father and w

A few years ago, a few days after Christmas, after the longest possible Advent season we could have, after a long day here, an even longer flight, and a long drive from the airport, I arrived at my cousin’s house to begin my vacation. I walked in, bags in hand, and saw the most beautiful thing on the counter. They had coffee. They had coffee, ready to brew, and plenty more for the length of my time there. It was beautiful to a weary traveler. My cousin’s wife smiled and said,

One summer, when I was 11, my family built a small vacation cabin in the mountains of Colorado. When it came time to drill the well, in the excitement of finding the best location, hiring the equipment, and watching the well come in, for the first time in my life, I began to think about water as a complex reality. On the long drive back to Oklahoma, I peppered Dad with a dozen questions. Across the high plains of Kansas, I learned of the vast Ogallala aquifer, spanning eight

These Magi are probably Persian and would be devoted to studying the stars in order to find meaning in the events here on earth. They are, therefore, Gentiles and, even worse, are engaged in practices that are forbidden in Jewish Scriptures. But they have seen a star rising in the East. And their “science” tells them that this new light in the heavens announces the birth of a king, and more specifically, a King of the Jews. From their study of the shape and movement of the st