A pious elder stated to a group of us twenty somethings many years ago, “God’s mercy is exceeded only by God’s justice.” A rather lively exchange of views was going on at the time. While theological debates of this sort may not play out much in classrooms, dorm rooms and bars anymore, our attitudes and resulting behaviors toward one another are frequently determined by what part of the equation we land on. Our scripture today gives us an entrée into these competing points of view. In particular, I think it has application to how we balance the needs of individuals …
Patti La Cross’s Homily from Setember 3, 2023
Twenty-Second Sunday, Sept 3, 2023 Holy Wisdom Monastery Jeremiah 15: 15-21; Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 16:21-28 Patti La Cross In each of the monotheistic traditions, prophets are seen as key to connecting and communicating between humans and the divine. It is they whodiscern the signs of the time, who guide, warn, and confront – always in an effort to help the people move toward liberation and reconciliation. As we move into this latest stretch of very hot days, I want to explore how the notion of prophecy might help us reflect on faithful action in this era of climate …
Rex Piercy’s Homily from August 27, 2023
HOMILY delivered at Sunday Assembly, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Middleton, WI – August 27, 2023 Text(s) – Matthew 16:13-20 and Mark 8:27-38 I suspect most of us pretty much agree that the level and tone of our public discourse in this country right now has sunk to a mighty low level. Mostly, it seems, we just talk past each other, if in fact we’re not shouting at or over one another. So a comment I recently overheard while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store was interesting to me. “Why,” one woman asked another, “are the only people who …
Pam Shellberg’s Homily from August 20, 2023
Homily Sunday, August 20, 2023 Holy Wisdom Monastery Pam Shellberg Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 15:21-28 Well, this is certainly not the Jesus we are used to seeing, is it … maybe not the Jesus we really want to see – and certainly not the Jesus our theology often primes us to see – a gentle, loving, and inclusive Jesus who reaches out to everyone, no exceptions. It’s hard to know what to make of this rude, disrespectful, and exclusionary Jesus who earlier in Matthew’s gospel was more than willing to heal the servant of a …
Paul Knitter’s Homily from August 6, 2023
RESOLVING PAUL’S DILEMMA: THE JEWISH JESUS: A WAY OPEN TO OTHER WAYS Sermon – Aug 6, 2023 Readings: Isaiah 55: 1-5; Romans 9:1-5; Matt 14: 13-21 “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood And sorry I could not travel both, ….. I took the one less-travelled by.” Paul Knitter
Manato Jansen’s Homily from July 23, 2023
Hope, entangled – Manato Jansen During this season when we have a break from the snow and so many of us are back in our gardens, growing crops and plants, a vivid visualization of this parable may come easily for us. The difficulty of cultivating, the joy of new life, and its challenges… Whenever I read this parable I picture my childhood during the humid Japan summers, pulling deep-rooted weeds out of the backyard for a rewarding allowance of about 50 cents. But the parable may also startle us. Once removed from the ground, the weeds are not simply discarded. …
Patti La Cross’s Homily from July 30, 2023
17th Sunday, July 30, 2023 Holy Wisdom Monastery 1 Kings 3: 5-12; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13: 31-33,44-52 Patti La Cross What welcome relief we have with our recent rains, and the dramatic greening and flourishing of the deep-rooted prairie and of our gardens! This summer as we experienced worsening drought, the reality that we all face from humanly-altered changes in climate came closer to home. I know that I”m not alone in the grief I feel for all our children and grandchildren, fearful for how they will experience the future, fearful of scarcity across the world.. So I’m grateful …
Winton Boyd’s Homily from July 16, 2023
Homily July 16, 2023 Winton Boyd When I read the gospel, my first thought was, wow, is there a better text for a monastic and Sunday assembly community located in the middle of a prairie? Seed wisdom upon seed wisdom! I’d like to offer up three sources of seed wisdom for us today. First, we have the wisdom of both the Hebrew and New Testaments.Isaiah and Matthew offer up powerful images of God’s word growing abundantly and filled with promise and possibility. “My word…shall not return empty” the prophet says. He likens the journey of faith to rain falling to …
Wayne Sigelko’s Homily from July 2, 2023
Homily for July 2, 2023 – 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time One of the things I greatly enjoy about preparing to preach is rediscovering on a regular basis the fact that insight about the meaning of the readings we encounter each week in our liturgy can be found in unusual places. For instance, in preparing for this week’s homily I came across an article in the University of Detroit Mercy Law Review: “Today hospitality is seen as a matter of etiquette, not ethics, a gracious welcome extended to dinner guests, or the patrons of a restaurant. But in the Bible …
Colleen Hartung’s Homily from June 25, 2023
Not Peace but a Sword Matthew 10: 24-39 June 25, 2023 By Colleen D. Hartung Today’s gospel was not the good news I was hoping for. Not by a long shot. Actually, my goal this year is to find my way toward some sort of healing in my relationships across my extended family networks. So many of these relationships have been frayed by seemingly insurmountable and consequential differences on social, political, cultural and religious issues. You know the old saying, “don’t talk about money, politics or religion with family and friends especially at the holidays.” Somehow that didn’t quite work …