Contagious Grace
As a Eucharistic minister, I can attest to the restorative power of prayer we bring with us—whether spoken from scripture or straight from one’s heart. We visit mostly older people who can no longer visit their church to pray and…
Why is Death a Dead-End on Sesame Street?
“Street Gang,” a documentary about the origins of the children’s show, Sesame Street, inspired a fantasy in the mind of the child within me. The film tells its audience that the show’s purpose from the beginning was to depict characters…
Rising Above Our Animal Brain
If we had relied on Moses and the Old Testament prophets and even Jesus’ New Testament disciples to spread the word of God under their own power, not a letter of it would have reached 21st century humans. They started…
Muscular Prayers from Skeleton Crews
When I was growing up, my grandparents’ house in North Royalton, Ohio seemed immense—especially for the few souls living there. And, indeed, it was a large house situated on the 12 acres of land it shared with an apple tree…
A Ministry of Close Shaves
Scripture repeatedly depicts the relationship between God and his people as that between a bridegroom and his bride. In such a relationship, the lovers devote their lives to each other, sharing in each other’s joy and grief. It’s the perfect…
A Mother’s Good Looks
On Mother’s Day, Moms finally get to enjoy some of the fruits of their labor. The children bearing that fruit do so as a result of the combined love and discipline Mom taught them—many times, with just a look. Those…
Love’s a Gift; Life’s a Grant
No one seeking power in U.S. government gets far by touting religious beliefs. However, everyone in government puts their hand over their heart while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance—and concludes by saying “one nation under God…” So why would a…
Jesus Made the Best of Frenemies
Online workplace environments and chat room are the favorite hideouts of frenemies. Columnist Walter Winchell coined that term in the 1950s when referring to the Russians, but if Jesus had spoken English, he might have come up with it first.…
Lost or Just Cloistered in our Wilderness?
After the trials and tortures they saw their crucified Master suffer as a result of his public ministry, you can imagine Christ’s disciples yearning for a more cloistered life of solitary prayer. Such a life could have sheltered them from…
Ignorance isn’t our dominant family trait
One of the last things Jesus said before dying was “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” That “them” might have included his disciples. Maybe that’s why, before his ascension, Jesus came back to have a few more…