April 28 Acts 11:1-18, Rev. 21:1-6, John 13:1-31-35 Doesn’t it feel like we are living in a new heaven and a new earth? Now that we have had several consecutive days of sunshine and warm weather, the relentless succession of gray cold rainy days are becoming a distant memory. Spring is finally here! It is one thing to look out the window and see blue skies, green grass, crocuses and daffodils. It is another thing to go outside, soak up the sunshine, smell the newness, clear out the flower beds, walk the Farmer’s Market. Sit on the back porch and …
Joseph Wiesenfarth's Homily from April 14, 2013
Acts 9:1-20, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 If one reads the Irish writer Colm Toíbín’s The Testament of Mary, one gets a very different view of the Holy Family and of the disciples of Jesus than one ordinarily gets. Toíbín’s Mary is very unhappy with what her son has decided to do with his life, refuses to be there at the last moments of his crucifixion, and forbids any one to sit in the chair that once belonged exclusively to her deceased husband, Joseph—indeed, threatens an evangelist so inclined with a knife in her hand. Her exacerbation is created by a …
Sister Lynne Smith's Homily from April 7, 2013
John 20:19-31 April 7, 2013 Some years ago, this season of Eastertide, the fifty days between Easter and Pentecost, took on new meaning for me. I read the chapter on Easter in The Holy Longing, by Ronald Rolheiser. In it he describes Eastertide as a time to grow into the new life given us by Christ’s death and resurrection. I read his book at a time when I was struggling to make the transition to a new stance in life. I was moving from living life as a victim to living proactively. It involved a great deal of time and …
Jim Penczykowski's Homily from Holy Thursday, March 28, 2013
Our action this evening is simplicity itself, wash one another’s feet. What does it mean to you? Does this action mean, “I wish I had had time to put on clean socks before I came here so I wouldn’t offend anyone when I take my shoes off?” There is something to this, you know. This is a very sensual activity to come into close proximity to another person’s feet. Those feet have seen a lot of miles; they may be tired; they may be ticklish; they may be suffering some neuropathy. I want to be gentle with those feet; I …
Libby Caes' Homily from March 17, 2013
Mary: a dangerous old woman John 12:1-8 (Is.43:16-21; Psalm 126, Phil. 3:4b-14) In the early 90’s ads began appearing in the New York Times for a new kind of hearing aid. I am sure you have all seen ads for hearing aids: invisible, in your ear, cheap with catchy names…ads that make outlandish promises and probably with little to deliver. This New York Times ad was for a new technology: digital hearing aids made by 3M. Dave, my husband, would make sure I saw the ad. He told me that I should check it out. Each time I brushed him …
Patti LaCross' Homily from March 10, 2013
Laetare Sunday March 10, 2013 Joshua 5:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3,11b-32 prod·i·gal adjective. Lavish – profuse – extravagant – wasteful – spendthrift In my old school, when I was a child¸ I remember that this parable was commonly called the Prodigal Son. Lessons focused on the young man who left with his premature inheritance to squander it unwisely, until muddied and hungry he had no choice but to return home, where – no surprise to those of us with many siblings – he was shown so generous a welcome that his obedient brother spent the …
Wayne Sigelko's Homily from March 3, 2013
Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent: Reflections on Exile and Figs, Manure and Potatoes I mentioned to my twin that I would be preaching today. His response was that he saw it as very fitting since the central metaphor of the Gospel is manure. Actually, he wasn’t quite that polite. The first reading is one of those that I came to love the very first time I heard it. And, as I learned more about it, I have become even more impressed with its power and depth. It was written by someone we have come to call Deutero Isaiah, since …
Roberta Felker's Homily from February 17, 2013
Holy Wisdom Monastery First Sunday of Lent 2013 Luke 4:1-13[1] There’s no sense in searching your Bible dictionary for the word, “Lent;” there was no such thing in biblical times. There is some evidence that early Christians fasted 40 hours between Good Friday and Easter, but the custom of spending 40 days in prayer and penance did not arise until later, sometime after Christianity was legalized A.D. 313, when that first rush of Christian adrenaline was over and many believers had gotten rather ho-hum about their faith, hanging their crosses on the wall and settling back into their customary …
Sister Lynne Smith's Homily on the Feast of Saint Scholastica from February 10, 2013
Homily – Feast of Saint Scholastica February 10, 2013 Mark 3:31-35 Many of you may know the story of Scholastica. According to tradition, she was the twin sister of Benedict who wrote the Rule Benedictines follow. They lived in Italy in the sixth century. What we know about Scholastica comes from the Dialogues of Gregory the Great in which he writes about various saints to inspire the people of his time. Gregory is asked whether the saints are able to do everything they wish and obtain all that they desire. In response, he says there was one time when Benedict …
Libby Caes' Homily from February 3, 2013
February 3, 2013 Luke 4:31-41, I Corinthians 13, Jeremiah 1:4-10 I wish I had a tally of all the weddings I have either officiated at or attended and what percentage of them had I Cor 13 for a reading. Probably most of them! It is a passage as familiar as the 23rd Psalm… if I speak with the tongue of men and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal… The gospel reading is much more of a puzzle to our 21century minds. Jesus speaking to the demons, an exchange we don’t …