[RCL] Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33 Our gospel today begins with some of Jesus’ most controversial words in the New Testament. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” That sounds pretty intimidating!…

LCR: Liturgia de las Palmas: Lucas 19:28-40; Salmo 118:1-2,19-29. Liturgia de la Pasión: Isaías 50:4-9a; Salmo 31:9-16; Filipenses 2:5-11; San Lucas 22:14-23:56 o 23:1-49. I) Liturgia de las Palmas. En las congregaciones donde se acostumbra a realizar la procesión de Ramos, se invita a la comunidad a escuchar con atención el pasaje del Evangelio y…

There is a popular saying for church signs, “Too Blessed to Be Depressed.” It’s a nice idea, isn’t it? Think about being so blessed by God and knowing it, that you can’t possibly be depressed. That is a wonderful thought. Unfortunately, it’s not scriptural. Very seldom does theology do well condensed to bumper-sticker length. And…

When you were a child, were you ever afraid of the dark? Did you imagine all sorts of scary things living in the dark of your closet or under your bed? Did a night-light give you that little bit of reassurance and comfort so that you could go to sleep safely? Most of us grow…

LCR: Amos 6:1a,4-7; Salmo 146; 1 Timoteo 6: 6-19; Lucas 16:19-31 La Iglesia reunida como Cuerpo de Cristo, recibe la plenitud de la gracia de Dios sobre sus fieles, para obtener la fortaleza a través de su misericordia, poder mantenernos firmes y alcanzar las promesas divinas que son los tesoros celestiales que el Señor tiene…

Alleluia, the Lord is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed! That is enough. What else do we need to know on this most glorious of all days? What else do we need to shout? Nothing! Nothing at all. Our 40 days of Lent are over. We have prepared ourselves with prayer and fasting. We have…

Hoy el evangelio nos habla de la multiplicación de cinco panes y dos peces. La muchedumbre no viene con enfermos para que Jesús los sane como señala el evangelio de Mateo (15:30), sino movida por un cierto entusiasmo mesiánico, pues ha visto los signos que Jesús ha realizado, milagros sorprendentes. El que Jesús suba a…

Powerful stuff in today’s readings. Everybody seems to be on a tear; Jesus and Isaiah are full of wrath and judgment, and even the author of Hebrews slips out of his Platonic abstractions long enough to get downright graphic about the costs of discipleship. All pretty grim for a Sunday in late summer. This abundance…

¿Qué es la luz de Cristo? ¿Cómo podemos hacer que esa luz ilumine nuestra mente y avive el corazón? Las lecturas de hoy apuntan, de alguna manera, a responder estas preguntas. El evangelio de Juan relata la manera milagrosa en que Jesús sana a un hombre ciego. Pero el relato pronto pasa a describir el…

A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of bitter weeping. Rachel is crying for her children…(Jeremiah 31:15) One of the most heart-wrenching cries that you will ever hear in this life is the wailing of a mother over her dead child or children. More and more, television is taking us into the homes that…