dialogue around the meaning of the words we use when speaking of the mystery we call GOD
If you would rather listen than read, just below is an audio recording, or a video is a little further below: https://soundcloud.com/user-165947833-151164563/indignance?si=c934c144691c45adb6d22f70bece2aaa Our Gospel reading from this past weekend (Mark 10:2-16) says that Jesus was “indignant.” I always thought that one became indignant when insulted, like when someone wounds your pride, but I was mistaken.... Continue Reading →
https://soundcloud.com/adeeperlook/baptism?si=cc236027fe2b48a7bc1c4cb5fa07a3ff&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing I don’t know about you, but the first person to come to mind when we begin thinking about baptism, is John The Baptist. The authorities of Jesus’ day were puzzled by John the Baptist, They were confused about who he was and what he was doing. They even asked him “who are you? What... Continue Reading →
A metaphor is a powerful image - a powerful figure of speech. It is more than just saying one thing is another thing. Sallie McFague, in her book Models of God, has this to say about a metaphor, "What a metaphor expresses cannot be said directly apart from it. It is an attempt to say something... Continue Reading →
https://soundcloud.com/adeeperlook/the-parable-of-the-unforgiving-servant?si=c9fff88f8e634192999963f8ab1b0d2f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Many times in our scriptures Jesus seems to be pairing God’s forgiveness of us with our forgiveness of others. He says "The measure with which you measure will be measured back to you…” "Do not judge others, and God will not judge you"…Even in the Our Father, that we pray together each week, we... Continue Reading →
Theologian Fr. James Alison describes our common misunderstanding of Jesus' death like this: "We sinned and offended God, so God was angry with humanity and demanded justice or some kind of payment for our blunder. But humanity couldn't offer any kind of divine gift big enough to diffuse God's anger since we are just lowly... Continue Reading →
The parable of the Workers in the Vineyard found in The Gospel of Matthew 20:10-16 is arguably the most infuriating words of Jesus ever to make it to print. There is a deep sense of something gone wrong when we hear that the ones who only worked one hour are paid the same as the... Continue Reading →
According to John Shea, renowned theologian and professional storyteller, the parable of the Persistent Widow found in Luke 18:1-8 violates rule number one of good storytelling. The author of the Gospel of Luke tells us the moral of the story before telling us the story itself. It reads “Jesus told his disciples a parable about... Continue Reading →
https://soundcloud.com/lisa-abad-brown/perfect?si=2bcdcfdec89e4e708a84d484af225895&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing The definition of Perfectionism: “A disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable; especially the setting of unrealistically demanding goals accompanied by a disposition to regard failure to achieve them as unacceptable and a sign of personal worthlessness.” Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a recovering perfectionist. I know some people wear... Continue Reading →
I don’t know about you, but I just cringe when in the face of grave human tragedy and suffering I hear someone say “This was God’s will” or “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” Really? Because it sure seems that some people get a crushing helping of grief on occasion. So many... Continue Reading →
No Advent would be complete without a nod to the gruff and unpleasantly challenging prophet John the Baptist. This “in-your-face” “call em’ as you see em’” prophet dressed in a ragged camel hair, smelling of bug breath and the poverty of desert discipleship isn’t exactly the cozy Christmas character we might expect at this time... Continue Reading →
This week let's consider and ponder the parable of The Mustard seed (Matthew 13:31–32) In order to understand this scripture, it’s important to put it in its first century context and ask ourselves "How would the first hearers of this comparison understood it?" https://soundcloud.com/user-165947833-151164563/small?si=24f7deff9d6c49f782b3d66e3c9bba8c Well, for the Israelites (the Jewish people) of Jesus’ time, there... Continue Reading →
Often I think we have this image of Jesus in our mind as this peaceful, gentle, pious and soft-spoken person. I’m sure at times, probably most times, Jesus was a very tender person, just like each of us. But without a doubt, Jesus was also a bit of a trouble-maker, a rabble rouser, a rebel. In... Continue Reading →
Fr. Ron Rolheiser says at the center of our lives there is an natural tension. On the one hand, “something in us wants to be different, wants to stand out; from the minute we’re born, we ache for our independence and uniqueness to be recognized. We don’t want to be the same as everyone else.... Continue Reading →
Let's consider the parable of The Sower found in the Gospel of Matthew 13:2-9. Many of us believe that Jesus is inviting us to think about how ready we are to receive God’s word in this parable. To judge what kind of soil we are and to straighten up and fly right so to speak... Continue Reading →
The parables of Jesus are little “stories with a mystery.” There is no “right” or “wrong” way to understand them - we are simply invited to ponder and tease them out a bit. For me, one of the more baffling parables is that of the Dishonest Steward or Manager found in Luke 16:1-13. https://soundcloud.com/lisa-abad-brown/money?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing The... Continue Reading →
https://soundcloud.com/lisa-abad-brown/doubt “The opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty.” – Paul Tillich I don’t think there is any other character in the bible that exemplifies our modern 21st century mindset and stance, better than St. Thomas, better known as “Doubting-Thomas.” As much as we may want to deny it or fight it, we all... Continue Reading →
If you would rather listen than read, just below is an audio recording, or a video is a little further below: Our Gospel reading from this past weekend (Mark 10:2-16) says that Jesus was “indignant.” I always thought that one became indignant when insulted, like when someone wounds your pride, but I was mistaken. I... Continue Reading →
I've been to three funerals this week, and then we have Covid. The Anniversary of 9/11. Watching my parents, friends, and other relatives age and wane. Lots of time thinking about death. No one knows when the second coming of Jesus Christ will happen or what it will look like. Though countless predictions and dates... Continue Reading →
A spiritual teacher had lost the key to his house and was looking for it on the lawn outside, running his fingers through each blade of grass. His disciples came along and asked the master what had happened. “I have lost the key to my house,” he said. “Can we help you find it?” they... Continue Reading →
Eucharist is our central, defining ritual; the center point of our Catholic Christian Identity. Eucharist comes from the Greek word Εὐχαριστεῖν (Eucharistein), which means “to give thanks” So, Eucharist is not only the consecrated bread and wine that we share at our sacred meal each week, but it is also an action - a verb.... Continue Reading →
I don’t know about you, but I just cringe when in the face of grave human tragedy and suffering I hear someone say “This was God’s will” or “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” Really? Because it sure seems that some people get a crushing helping of grief on occasion. So many... Continue Reading →
This week let's consider and ponder the parable of The Mustard seed (Matthew 13:31–32) In order to understand this scripture, it’s important to put it in its first century context and ask ourselves "How would the first hearers of this comparison understood it?" https://soundcloud.com/user-165947833-151164563/small?si=24f7deff9d6c49f782b3d66e3c9bba8c Well, for the Israelites (the Jewish people) of Jesus’ time, there... Continue Reading →
Often I think we have this image of Jesus in our mind as this peaceful, gentle, pious and soft-spoken person. I’m sure at times, probably most times, Jesus was a very tender person, just like each of us. But without a doubt, Jesus was also a bit of a trouble-maker, a rabble rouser, a rebel. In... Continue Reading →
Fr. Ron Rolheiser says at the center of our lives there is an natural tension. On the one hand, “something in us wants to be different, wants to stand out; from the minute we’re born, we ache for our independence and uniqueness to be recognized. We don’t want to be the same as everyone else.... Continue Reading →
Let's consider the parable of The Sower found in the Gospel of Matthew 13:2-9. Many of us believe that Jesus is inviting us to think about how ready we are to receive God’s word in this parable. To judge what kind of soil we are and to straighten up and fly right so to speak... Continue Reading →
The parables of Jesus are little “stories with a mystery.” There is no “right” or “wrong” way to understand them - we are simply invited to ponder and tease them out a bit. For me, one of the more baffling parables is that of the Dishonest Steward or Manager found in Luke 16:1-13. https://soundcloud.com/lisa-abad-brown/money?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing The... Continue Reading →
I don’t know about you, but the first person to come to mind when we begin thinking about baptism, is John The Baptist. The authorities of Jesus’ day were puzzled by John the Baptist, They were confused about who he was and what he was doing. They even asked him “who are you? What do... Continue Reading →
I've been to three funerals this week, and then we have Covid. The Anniversary of 9/11. Watching my parents, friends, and other relatives age and wane. Lots of time thinking about death. No one knows when the second coming of Jesus Christ will happen or what it will look like. Though countless predictions and dates... Continue Reading →
A spiritual teacher had lost the key to his house and was looking for it on the lawn outside, running his fingers through each blade of grass. His disciples came along and asked the master what had happened. “I have lost the key to my house,” he said. “Can we help you find it?” they... Continue Reading →
Eucharist is our central, defining ritual; the center point of our Catholic Christian Identity. Eucharist comes from the Greek word Εὐχαριστεῖν (Eucharistein), which means “to give thanks” So, Eucharist is not only the consecrated bread and wine that we share at our sacred meal each week, but it is also an action - a verb.... Continue Reading →
“The opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty.” – Paul Tillich I don’t think there is any other character in the bible that exemplifies our modern 21st century mindset and stance, better than St. Thomas, better known as “Doubting-Thomas.” As much as we may want to deny it or fight it, we all have... Continue Reading →
A metaphor is a powerful image - a powerful figure of speech. It is more than just saying one thing is another thing. Sallie McFague, in her book Models of God, has this to say about a metaphor, "What a metaphor expresses cannot be said directly apart from it. It is an attempt to say something... Continue Reading →
https://soundcloud.com/adeeperlook/how-are-we-saved-by-the-cross?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing AUDIO PODCAST if you prefer to listen Theologian Fr. James Alison describes our common misunderstanding of Jesus’ death like this: "We sinned and offended God, so God was angry with humanity and demanded justice or some kind of payment for our blunder. But humanity couldn’t offer any kind of divine gift big enough to diffuse... Continue Reading →
Many times in our scriptures Jesus seems to be pairing God’s forgiveness of us with our forgiveness of others. He says "The measure with which you measure will be measured back to you…” "Do not judge others, and God will not judge you"…Even in the Our Father, that we pray together each week, we ask... Continue Reading →
The parable of the Workers in the Vineyard found in The Gospel of Matthew 20:10-16 is arguably the most infuriating words of Jesus ever to make it to print. There is a deep sense of something gone wrong when we hear that the ones who only worked one hour are paid the same as the... Continue Reading →
According to John Shea, renowned theologian and professional storyteller, the parable of the Persistent Widow found in Luke 18:1-8 violates rule number one of good storytelling. The author of the Gospel of Luke tells us the moral of the story before telling us the story itself. It reads “Jesus told his disciples a parable about... Continue Reading →
The definition of Perfectionism: “A disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable; especially the setting of unrealistically demanding goals accompanied by a disposition to regard failure to achieve them as unacceptable and a sign of personal worthlessness.” Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a recovering perfectionist. I know some people wear that... Continue Reading →
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