Spiritual Practices

Holy Week and Passover: Coinciding Times to Prepare for our Public Presence in a Post-Pandemic World

Holy Week and Passover completely overlap this year “Give ear and come to me” (Isaiah 55.3a) Holy Week and Passover provide prayerful opportunities for us…

Piety, Penance, Prayer and the Pandemic: A Coming Lenten Season Like No Other

After the Coming Lenten Season, will we be the same person we were when the pandemic began or a different person preparing to minister in…

Pondering the Sorrow of the Coronavirus and the Joy of Christmas

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people (Luke 2.10)” has additional meaning this Christmas…

It is Time to Restore the Tradition of Fasting During Advent Because of the Pain Precipitated by the Pandemic

–Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly– – Joel 1.14- Approximately 1,500 years ago, fasting was a widely practiced tradition of Advent unlike today.…

How Should We Respond to the Pain Precipitated by the Pandemic?

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is within your power to act (Proverbs 3.27) Therefore, as we have occasion, let…

COVID-19 Pandemic: How Should We Respond to the Dying of the Elderly?

You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD. –Leviticus 19.32– –Let Us…

COVID-19: How Should We Respond to the Death and Dying?

“The groans of the dying rise from the city, and the souls of the wounded cry out for help. But God charges no one with…

Social Distancing and Social Distance: What’s the Difference?

–Social distancing provides a time for deeper reflection on social distance— Health and government officials define social distancing in disaster preparedness terms such as “shelter…

Collective Responsibility and Homelessness: Integrating individual and shared responsibility

William Johnston, S.J., one of the twentieth century’s mystical theologians, and who I once met, wrote the following in his book entitled: Christian Mysticism: “The…

Integrating Scripture, Social Capital, and Social Reform

While there is no set and commonly agreed upon definition of social capital, common elements include the sum of the social, economic, and moral resources…

Integrating our Passions, Probity, and Prayers

The Spiritual Practice of Praying the Psalms and Seeking Social Justice Integrating our passions, probity, and our prayers can be accomplished by praying the psalms.…

What about Holy Saturday?  What Should We Do?

Let this Saturday, Holy Saturday, be a time of deep spiritual reflection. The primary focus of the day before, Good Friday, is the crucifixion and…

Hollywood and Liberty

Last week was the 88th Oscars and the most used hashtag leading up to the event was #OscarsSoWhite. Chris Rock hosted the show amidst the…

Combining the External and Internal: The Work of Artist FrankyJames

FrankyJames relies heavily upon the figure as a primary icon in his compositions, choosing to work in a narrative style that combines many elements of…

Lenten “Inner” Retreats and Solving Social Struggles

Since the earliest days of the Christian Church, Lent has been associated with the 40 days that Christ spent in the desert before the beginning…

Powerlessness of the Sick

Introduction While I was taking MD525, Poverty and Development, at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2015, I as an alternative health practitioner was so excited and…

Lectio Divina and an Image of a Homeless Person realized in Psalm 31

“I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances, those who see me in…

New Year’s Resolutions: An Oxymoron?

Oxymorons like “rush hour” and “government intelligence” make us chuckle when we stop and think about them. I propose that we add “New Year’s resolutions”…

Divine Offices of Prayer

Seven prayer offices have developed over the centuries to help ensure a day-long dialogue with God. “Seven times a day I praise you” (Psalm 119.164)…