Monthly Archives: December 2022

Joy

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I don’t normally have cause to travel around Christmas. I am here for the holidays with you! I pray that this holiday season is without winter storms roaring about. When you have to travel in such times, one can be quite happy that the airplane finally got off the ground. Once airborne, you were happy. A new round of happiness came when the pilot finally found smooth air. And even if it was 6 hours late, you are happy that you have arrived.  When you finally get off the plane, pass through security, and at last see your spouse, your kids, your parents or grandparents, your fiancé, or whomever you have longed to see…. that is not a new round of  happy. That is Joy.  You hear it in the tone and energy of the voices, the embraces, and the hugs.  And even when the reunion is right in the middle of everyone else’s way, when the reunion is clogging up the entire flow of foot traffic trying to get somewhere, you can’t help but notice even the most curmudgeon-y of travelers, however reluctantly, is giving evidence of a smile. Joy is embedded in the warp and woof, in the very fabric of relationships.  Just like Mary and Elizabeth. Continue reading →

A Gift of Advent: the Habit of Patience

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So far this Advent, the Saturday morning post has explored one of the many gifts that await us under the tree, that is, the cross of Christ. And there are some awesome gifts – to name the ones mentioned in previous weeks – forgiveness and mercy. Now we have arrived at the Third Week of Advent, Gaudete Sunday! The name comes from wording in Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!  It is another week, and another gift awaits. Like any kid in the days leading up to Christmas you have begun to peer under the tree, assessing the shapes, sizes and weight of gifts – and guessing what could possibly be under wraps. You have to wonder what other awesome gift is waiting right there under the tree, the cross of Christ. Let’s open up another gift!  But wait…it’s not Christmas yet.  What’s the rush? Christmas is only over a week away. Of course, when I was 7 years old, “only a week” seemed liked a lifetime. Now that I am a lot older than 7, “only a week” is but the blink of an eye. I am much more patient about most things…. Not all things, most things. So, what’s the rush? Maybe we should practice a little patience? Continue reading →

While I am it…

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Earlier today there was a post about the challenges of pronunciation. Merriam Webster later posted “You’re (Probably) Saying It Wrong: 18 words even you might be mispronouncing. As I read the article I could heart the echo of my mom and several teachers saying: “OK, you know how to spell it….just sound it out.” There are at least 18 words where that advise wouldn’t have helped me. Continue reading →

The Challenges of Pronunciation

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I know that from time to time, especially in the Old Testament readings, there are words that are challenging to say the least. So, I thought I would pass along an article from the morning’s paper that let us all know the world is full of challenging words. I thought about have a contest with a prize to the first person to correctly proclaim the sentence below…. but I am not sure where we’d get someone to judge!

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa explained the significance of the Chicxulub impact crater to actor Domhnall Gleeson over a drink of negroni sbagliato in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.”

It contains five examples from this year’s list of the most mispronounced words released this week by The Captioning Group, which since 1991 has captioned and subtitled real-time events on television in the U.S. and Canada.

Jesus’ View of John

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This coming Sunday is the 3rd Sunday in Advent, lectionary cycle A, and again John the Baptist features prominently in the gospel text. Previously we considered the question John sends along with his disciples: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Yesterday we looked at Jesus’ response. Today, we can ponder how Jesus understood John the Baptist’s role. Continue reading →

History, Slavery, Legacy and Today

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The Washington Post recently published an article that is an informative and fascinating read. You should take 15-20 minutes to read:  Their wealth was built on slavery. Now a new fortune lies underground by Julie Zauzmer Weil. In the picture above, people mentioned in the article include, clockwise from top left: Isaac Coles, Carole Coles Henry, Edward Coles, Walter Coles V

Image credit: Washington Post – Justin Ide for The Washington Post, Washington Post illustration with original sources from the New York Public Library, Library of Congress with photographs by Joshua Lott of the Washington Post

Original article: Editing by Lynda Robinson, photo editing by Mark Gail and Mark Miller, copy editing by Vanessa Larson, design by Michael Domine.

A History: The Immaculate Conception

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The Immaculate Conception of the Venerable One...It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived “by the power of the Holy Spirit,” in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what “immaculate” means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings. Continue reading →