Some situations just never get better. And I wonder: God—where are you?? We’re two weeks into Lent and the darkness is starting to settle in. I’m feeling the effects of self-denial and am not enjoying it. But worse is the longing for resolution to a long-standing problem. Lord—this is crushing me! I cry. Where is […]
CREATE YOUR OWN DESERT FOR LENT … and seek Christ in his Word
I just spent the most boring hour of my life at Jiffy Lube, waiting for an oil change and car inspection. There were no magazines or pictures to look at, so I was stuck with my own thoughts. All around me, people were absorbed in their phones. Not even the three-year-old twins beside me offered […]
WELCOMING THE LIGHT OF EASTER
Q: How many people does it take to understand an empty tomb? A: On that first Easter morning, according to John’s gospel, it took three. First responder Mary Magdalene assumed the worst and ran for help. John stopped at the door, noting the cloths left behind. Not until Simon Peter went into the tomb and […]
THE PARADOX OF THE CROSS: Learning from Mary on Good Friday
Above the altar in the Chapel of the Crucifixion in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre — traditionally recognized as the spot where Jesus was nailed to the cross — is a mosaic. A life-sized Jesus lies spread out on the ground where the soldier has just finished hammering nails into his hands. A woman […]
WHEN GOD SAYS “NO”—Psalm 38 and a lesson from David
What do we do when God does not answer our prayer? I know they say he always answers – just not necessarily as we would like. So what do we do when God answers “no”? This week I’ve been meditating on Psalm 38, the third of seven “penitential psalms.” It’s a psalm of David, […]
CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART: Psalm 51
“You’re the man!” According to the Urban Dictionary, that’s a cool way of saying “you rock!” You’re comparing the person to someone everyone knows is awesome, like Jesus (or Allah, or Buddah, or even Chuck Norris, according to that source!) Somehow I don’t think that’s what the prophet Nathan meant in 2 Samuel 12 when […]
ENTERING THE SILENCE OF HOLY SATURDAY
In the dark day of waiting between Good Friday and Easter, I would like to share with you what I wrote about Holy Saturday for “Walk in Her Sandals: Entering Christ’s Passion through the Eyes of Women.” The following excerpt appears by permission of Ave Maria Press: Scripture is nearly silent about Holy Saturday. It’s as if […]
NO MATTER HOW BLACK THE PICTURE LOOKS: “BUT GOD!”
I sat with my grandmother in the hospital toward the end of her life, miserable to think that she would soon be gone. As was typical with her, she was the one comforting me. At 22, I couldn’t imagine life after anybody’s death . . . but she could. “But God, Sarah,” she said. “…but God! No […]
ENTER LENT WITH LESSONS FROM ISRAEL
In 722 BC, the Assyrian army swept down into Israel. They captured most of the people of the northern kingdom and forced-marched them into exile, scattering them among foreign territories. These are the “lost tribes” of Israel; they never returned. In 587 BC, Babylon conquered the southern kingdom of Israel, known then as Judah. They destroyed the […]
40 DAYS IN THE WORD: 3 Ways to Add Scripture to Your Lenten “Diet”
How about doing something for Lent this year, instead of simply giving up sweets? In this year’s Lenten message, Pope Francis has an interesting comment on the parable of the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor beggar who lay dying at his gate (Luke 16:19-31). He says that the root of the rich man’s problem was not his wealth […]
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