Category: Speaking to the Soul

“I love it that my church has a commemoration where my saints can be remembered, even by those who never knew them, merely by hearing their names read on a list. I appreciate that I can join with others in remembering their saints along with mine, making our community stronger and more connected.”

“This got me thinking about how important help and support can be in life in general. Even though I could tell I was injured, it took consulting with professionals to help truly assess the scope of the injury. I couldn’t do it alone, even though I was the one feeling the pain.”

“Last week in our gospel, we heard the story of one man who was sure he belonged on top because he thought himself perfect, and another man who thought he was a worm due to his own acknowledgement of his sins. Yet it was the man who bewailed his sins and prayed to God for mercy who was justified, Jesus tells us. That’s a declaration that is a huge reversal to what most of us witness in our lives.”

“It was an era when only the educated few could read and understand the Bible; ordinary folk depended on the clergy to interpret the Bible for them. Wyclif held that believers should have a direct, unmediated relationship with God, not requiring the intervention of the church or its priesthood.”

“Never hurry anywhere. This is why I love to walk. To move only as fast as my two feet will take me. When I walk I leave my phone at home and take only what I need: water and house keys.”

“We have a lot of weapons against evil, if we use them.  Once the person recognizes a spirit as a demon and takes part in banishing it, they are turning again toward God. The person may find peace.”

“I remember speaking those words, and how shame washed over me in a hot tide.  Nobody was at all interested in letting me off the hook, either. Everyone was furious at me, and quite rightly so.”

“I think with the Spirit, it’s probably best for me to assume that the Spirit is always present in one way or another, and for me to be constantly aware of that presence, whether or not I feel a gentle breeze against my cheek or my house shakes with the force of it.”

“What we temptingly long for is too often a collection of selective memories of a stubborn nostalgia that has a tendency to gloss over the better things of life in the present moment. The best memories for one person can be the worst ones of another.”

“Later, I thought about how much our own concerns about being justified, about how we can see the fault in others without seeing our own imbalances and flaws can overshadow our ability to deal kindly with each other.”