By iucc on Friday, March 12, 2010 :: 438 Views
Because he is a poet, the images Isaiah uses are both beautiful and compelling. They evoke primal human experiences, like profound thirst. In fact, the most powerful image in this week's reading is water, and many commentators take note of the waters of creation, the waters of Red Sea, and, of course, waters in the desert--for the people wandering on the way to the Promised Land, the people on their way Back Home, and for all of us who thirst for justice and wholeness and peace.
By iucc on Friday, March 05, 2010 :: 1278 Views
Yes, the son wastes his inheritance on a good time in a distant land, but his father seems just as free and even wasteful in lavishing his wealth on a son who comes home not in sincere repentance but calculated self-interest.
By iucc on Friday, February 26, 2010 :: 1637 Views
Many of us may be attempting, with varying degrees of success, one kind of Lenten discipline or another. We can take heart in John Stendahl's observation that "to live faithfully with God in this covenant means to act and think in ways that will not come naturally to us. That is one reason that repentance is hard work, not automatic and instinctive."
By iucc on Friday, February 19, 2010 :: 1621 Views
Our Gospel reading offers rich material for our Lenten reflection this week: after all, this is the season for uncomfortable questions and hard truth--just what's needed to open our eyes and our hearts, and set our feet on the path of faithfulness.
By iucc on Friday, February 12, 2010 :: 1918 Views
We might be so distracted by what we're supposed to do during Lent, or intend to do, that we lose track of what the story's really about, and what God is doing out there, in the wilderness.
By iucc on Friday, February 05, 2010 :: 1468 Views
As usual, Peter is very much like many of us. We often try to talk our way into understanding, trying to process an experience so that we can absorb its meaning and make that meaning part of who we are.
By iucc on Friday, January 29, 2010 :: 1893 Views
What does it look like to "strike out into the deep," when we're tired and convinced that there are no more people interested in the good news we offer, especially when our popular culture offers such enticing invitations in other directions?
By iucc on Saturday, January 23, 2010 :: 1564 Views
Perhaps the most moving--and therefore transformational-–way to read this text is to let it read us.