The Psalms are unique in the Bible because on one hand, they are prayers of people pouring out their hearts to God; but at the same time, they are the words of God. When we pray with them, our thirst for him meets his thirst for us. The psalms reveal HIS heart while they bare […]
ADD SCRIPTURE TO YOUR LENTEN DIET
How about adding something to your Lenten diet this year, in place of the things you abstain from? I’m not talking about adding food. As Jesus famously said, we don’t live just on bread, but on “every word” that comes from God (see Matthew 4:4). Lent is a great time to see the truth of […]
FINDING JOY AT CHRISTMAS
“Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man…I tell you again: for your sake, God became man.” —Saint Augustine As we move into Christmas, I wish for you the peace and joy that only Jesus brings. Whether you are prepared or not; whether you are well or not; whether you can afford gifts or not; […]
FOCUSING ON THE CHRIST CHILD with the O Antiphons
Having recently lost someone dear to me has shifted my focus to beyond the grave, where I imagine him filled with the peace and joy he longed for. It increases my own longing for heaven, too, although I hope to stick around for a good long time! Thankfully we don’t have to wait for eternity, […]
THANKSGIVING PSALMS: Drowning grief in gratitude
Thanksgiving Day rolls around regardless of events, and some years it’s easier to get in the spirit than others. This is one of the hard ones. Mark died just four weeks ago, and there’s been barely time to grieve. I am prepared to give thanks for his life; for 35 years of marriage and all […]
RETURNING TO GOD…AND PRAYERS FOR UKRAINE
My heart is breaking over events in Ukraine. As I continue to meditate on the readings from Ash Wednesday, I’m drawn over and over to Joel 2:12–13— “Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning…” Joel is crying to a people crushed by an […]
RETURN: GOD IS CALLING YOU!
“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart…” (Joel 2:12) “Return.” The whole idea behind “returning” somewhere is that you go back to where you were before. And in the case of returning to God, even if you have never loved or followed him, he has always loved you. Before you […]
ADVENT: WAITING FOR JOY
“Behold, I am coming soon.” He says it twice in one chapter (Revelation 22:7,12). Really, Lord? I have to ask. Two thousand years and counting … “soon”? And he repeats it: “Surely I am coming soon” (vs 20). Come, Lord Jesus! my heart cries out. Come! Please! It’s not easy to wait, especially in our need. […]
COME, LORD JESUS! — 1st Sunday of Advent
Advent is not a simple season. Its four weeks are full of festive preparation, yet it’s a penitential time as well. Along the way, it asks us to hold in balance three separate “comings”: The coming long ago of Jesus to earth, born as a child in Bethlehem His coming at the end of time […]
The REALLY True Meaning of Christmas
There are lots of good books on the meaning of Christmas, and it’s not often I come across something new. But here at the heart of Michael Patrick Barber’s new book, The True Meaning of Christmas, is a gem we all should keep in mind as we approach our celebration of the birth of our […]
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