Weekly Reflections

Sometimes as I got older, it almost seemed to me that the focus of Lent was more on the technicality of what we were giving up, and less on the spiritual meaning of Lent. Last week, I saw a wonderful bit of advice from Pope Francis. It has stayed with me day after day. Read what Pope Francis says about fasting for Lent.

This week’s reflection letter includes our Ash Wednesday programs and our Lenten class on the Psalms called “Words from the Soul”. In the meantime… Get ready for Lent with an explosion of ALLELUIAS!

I am delighted with the warmer temperatures we’ve been having for the last few days, and grateful for the not-terribly-chilly nights (not just for my heating budget, but also for all the folks who are outside). But the light is still dimmer than I’d prefer. So you can imagine how much I love EPIPHANY!!!! The season when we celebrate enthusiastically the LIGHT that has come into the world, and which darkness cannot defeat.

The secular calendar tells us Advent is about getting ready for Christmas. True. A number of the readings tell us it is about getting ready for Christ’s return at the end of time—also true. But the way we prepare for Christ’s return is by how we live day after day. So Advent asks us: What will you do TODAY to make room for Jesus in your life? What will you do TODAY to bring his return each day, not just in the future?

Many of you have heard me say how fond I am of the Jesus Prayer. It is a simple sentence, composed of a few words, which can be repeated prayerfully throughout the day to keep us grounded and centered in God. But more than that, it is an expression of our faith, an acknowledgment of who Jesus is, and a reminder of our own status.

Some of us have to live paycheck-to-paycheck. And some of us are fortunate enough to have money in savings.  But it is a fact of life that we all need money to survive in this world.  While St. Margaret’s is all about our spiritual lives, even a church needs money to keep the lights on,

We are entering into the Very Busy Time of the year—almost as though after the lethargy of summer heat and humidity, the cool breezes and refreshing rains of autumn have sent our world into hyperdrive.  So instead of my usual weekly reflection, I’m going to give you a list of dates you should know for the fall.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, As I was preparing for the Monday evening Bible study, I was listening to a brief discussion at the Yale Bible Study site. https://yalebiblestudy.org/courses/psalms/lessons/the-character-of-god-video/ Two professors, Dr. Joel S. Baden and Dr. John J. Collins, were talking about how the psalms reveal what the ancient Israelites thought of the character of