9/23/2018
Pentecost 18B

Saint Catherine of Siena wrote this message for implanting wisdom in the young: “Make two homes for thyself, my daughter. One actual home… and the other a spiritual home, which thou are to carry with thee always.” How much attention do you and I give to our spiritual home; and is that home a place where we nurture the growth of spiritual wisdom?

9/16/2018
Pentecost 17B

(NIV) “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire.” Right now we know a lot about the uncontrolled nature of fires, don’t we? From the CAL FIRE website last night: 20 active fires right now.

We adults are really lucky that when we grew older, we outgrew this problem of starting forest fires with our tongues. It is only an issue with children, right? Of course we actually learn over time to do it even better

9/2/2018
Pentecost 15B

My wife Ruth and I are rules people. We laugh about it, but it’s true. The rules say to use turn signals, and so I remain to this day a member of the small minority in California who still signal when I make a turn or change lanes. It’s a rule. But the meaning of a “Rule” is something that provides a means of measure. Rule of the Order of St Benedict, or of the Franciscans, or the Rule of Life of Brother Lawrence; these were about measuring their journey to the heart of God; taking account of their openness to God.