Today’s readings are spirit raisers. In the first, Ezra is described in the Book of Nehemiah a few different ways, according to his talents (priest, scribe and priest/scribe). Another of his talents apparently was cheerleader. He had a tough crowd,…
Jesus’ miracles served an important purpose outside the immediate need they met. As written in the account of his miracle at Cana, “Jesus revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.” He could have abused this gift…
Today’s gospel is inspiring. Jesus is baptized, the skies open and God endorses Jesus: “You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased.” With that endorsement, Jesus was certified to pay an astounding debt. He received the power…
On this feast of the Epiphany, it’s worthwhile to look at the various definitions of that word. The first that comes up online is “a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in…
Even the best of human beings tend to be annoying. It starts in childhood and develops from there. Take a typical 12-year-old boy. He tends to be self-centered, mouthy, and ignorant of the consequences of his actions—all of which describes…
Here it is, the Sunday before Christmas, and we can all feel secure knowing we survived the Mayan curse that was to end the world as we know it. Actually, I don’t think most people believed the Mayan calendar predicted…
It’s almost Christmas. To share joy with their fellow citizens, an atheist group purchased a billboard in the heart of midtown Manhattan stating “Keep the MERRY! Dump the MYTH!” Of course, this message wasn’t intended to spread joy but to…
John the Baptist was identified as a lone voice crying out in the desert, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” The key word here is “lone.” He didn’t have disciples to help him spread this message—at least while he…
Today’s readings span a wide range of human feelings…happiness, love, fear and courage. The common denominator is the coming of Jesus, which will elicit all of these emotions when time’s up and we have to account for how we’ve lived.…
All Christians can agree on this definition of God: “God is love.” That’s an easy one. But there is something else God is that human beings have trouble wrapping their heads around. Jesus told us who God is by introducing…