Touchpoints on The Gospel
The Parable of the Lost Pharisee
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his…
A Posture of Dignity
You are free from your ailment.
Parable of the Neighbor
Grace to you from the Mystery in whom we live and breathe and have our being. Who is my neighbor? Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:25-37 Good Samaritan If this parable we’re laying on the side of the road, stripped and beaten of its deep message of radical compassion…
Banishing Fear
Grace and Peace from the mystery in whom we live and move and have our being. Galatians 3:23-29 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. Luke 8:26-39 Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite…
Into All Truth
“The canvas of hues and the wisdom of the unknown were no longer my companions. I became eternally hungry and thirsty for more of the fruit that never quenched the desire for belonging.”
Paul vs. the Pimps
“It makes me wonder, as I look at my life, how often I may have prostituted my gifts. How have I debased my talents, with egoistic intent, unworthy of the good news that saved me from the exploitation of others?”
One Shepherd Many Voices
John 10:22-30 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you…
Be Loved
John 21:14-17 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes,…
Stop Calling Me That
“If we do not experience doubt than we will not experience faith. Faith is not a lack of doubt or fear. Faith is a step taken in the face of great doubt and fear on our journey. In this, we will come to believe. Our mind will experience new things, and our brain will create new pathways (patterns) that are unique to our journey.”
The Unresolved Mystery
“Today the toxicity of religion and politics says we did not awaken. Has not even a global pandemic taught us that love is more powerful than hate? The world had a chance to create urban contemplatives that would henceforth serve marginalized communities without caveat.”
The Choice
Luke 19:28-40 After telling a parable to the crowd at Jericho, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying…
Dinner Party
John 12:1-8 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the…