Proper 17B

RCL: Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Author Anthony DeMello tells a story about an ashram cat. He writes, “When the guru sat down to worship each evening, the ashram cat would get in the way and distract the worshipers. So he ordered that the cat be tied…

The church is full of hypocrites. Ever heard that? I hear it all the time. It usually comes from folks who are anxious to justify the neglect of their own religious duties by dumping on church folks. At first glance, it seems a well-aimed attack, too. After all, Jesus is very hard on hypocrites, in…

Ritual is essential in life. National, religious or familial, rituals offer us the comfort of repetition and familiarity as they lend beauty to occurrences that otherwise might be considered mundane. Observe a little child who asks for the same story night after night – this is her ritual – or your own delight in keeping…

Love received is love to be shared. Life is short – and we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us. So let us be swift to love and make haste to be kind, and the blessing of God will be with us. In the…

“Sit up straight! Elbows off the table! Napkin in your lap! Wait until everyone has been served before you begin to eat! And close your mouth when you chew!” The rituals associated with eating begin early in a child’s life and grow more complex with our journey toward maturity. In every culture these rituals are…

Sometimes when we hear the Bible in our own language, it’s helpful to translate it yet again into our time and place. Let’s do that today. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The conversation we heard about in the Gospel that was just read with its references to religious hand washing…

There are sometimes movies released that, for one reason or another, do not receive a great deal of advanced publicity or many reviews—good or bad. But when one of these films, against all odds, proves to capture the attention and admiration of audiences who spread the word about its charms, it is called a “sleeper.”…

If you want to know what’s about to happen in an Episcopal worship service, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the Collect of the Day. It gets that name because it “collects” the main idea of the day’s worship. Today, when we prayed for God to “increase in us true religion,” we were…