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For the third week in a row, we are hearing a Gospel Reading from Matthew’s very long Chapter 13. Parable after parable. When I was younger, I must confess that I tuned out much of these “stories”. I didn’t get the point of them. I lacked imagination, but otherwise, I was not the root of the problem. Why didn’t our Lord just TELL us what he was trying to teach us rather than giving us these unwieldy puzzles?! The riddles? Drawn perhaps from the ancient Hebrew life as a teach

Several months ago, just before my Lenten Instagram hiatus, I found myself cackling at a simple post by a stranger who made me feel seen. She writes: “you’ll never catch me being nonchalant. I’m a diehard chalanter. always chalanting. giving so many chalants” (@ashleypaigey). Same, Ashley. Same. More recently, then, one of my favorite Instagram accounts, the truly hilarious @merriamwebster—yes, the dictionary—posted: “Is ‘chalant’ the opposite of ‘nonchalant?’ There is no wor

On this seventh Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, a glorious foundational event in our Christian faith and yet also one that challenges our rationality. Maybe you too have found yourself wondering such doubt-filled questions as “Did he really just float up in the sky?,” “Did it have to be so dramatic?” “Am I supposed to take this literally?” Today, I’d like to acknowledge that those doubts—and any others you carry—are safe in the all-knowing P

Growing up, I didn’t know one could have opinions about war. It was like being a fish and remarking on the water one was swimming in: For the first 14 years of my life, I was an Air Force brat. My father served in the United States military for 23 years, enlisting when he was 19. This isn’t to say that I grew up with positive feelings about war, quite the opposite. My father did two tours of duty in Iraq, and though he came back physically uninjured, his experiences in the de

Today’s Gospel reading was in the back of my mind as I spent the week with John, my four year-old. His two older sisters are away on a trip so he and I went on many adventures. John asks a lot of interesting questions, like any four year-old. There’s also a lot of “why, why, why” being asked when my attempts at answers are deemed insufficient. John will also repeat questions, day after day. My brain is constantly thinking about how I can answer questions better, more creative

The readings today, on this first Sunday of Advent, focus on the themes of light and being prepared for the coming of the Savior – both...