There are many Easters in my memory: from the ones experienced as a child with new dress-up clothes and maybe a special hat. (Easter bonnets were a real thing when I was young.) There were Easter baskets filled with treats,…
Easter is about resurrection — new life springing forth. But before we can get to Easter, we have to go through the Passion of Jesus Christ, the narrative of his suffering, agony and death on the cross. We play out…
In October of 2015 my wife Annette and I went on a tour of the Holy Land. Each place we visited there held its own special significance, but there was one in particular that stood out for me as the…
I once attended a Mass in El Salvador. The worship space was a small aluminum shed with rows of wooden benches and a space for the priest, and wooden altar at the front. It was a wonderful experience. I do not…
One of the pillars of Lenten practice is prayer. Visio Divina (Divine Seeing) is a prayer form that helps our Lenten journey by opening scripture visually. Visio Divina is a way of drawing closer to God through contemplating images. It…
Ash Wednesday, which we observe today, is a centuries-old tradition that initiates the 40 days of Lent prior to Easter. The smudge of ash applied on our foreheads in the shape of a cross sets the tone for Lent by…
Lent tends to sneak up on me. Maybe it’s because I live in a snowy place where the landscape still looks like a Christmas card in March… I find that one way to get into the spirit of Lent is…
A significant part of our worship on Good Friday is the veneration of the cross. The cross is solemnly processed through the congregation, then we are invited to express our devotion to it. The cross may be the most recognizable…
It was a most memorable Holy Thursday celebration. About forty of us – students, faculty and visitors – had gathered in the campus chapel to begin the annual journey through the Easter Triduum. The liturgical features and the rituals of…
Passion Sunday is particularly meaningful this year. As we listen to the passion narrative from the Gospel of Mark proclaimed in our churches we can imagine the streets of Holy Land, the crowds, the violence and the despair. Here we…