“Hearts on Fire” (by Rev. Yanchy Lacska, PhD)
Early this morning, as I looked out my home office window, I could see that big ball of fire we call the Sun just clearing the trees toward the East. I started to think about how the Holy One appears again and again in Biblical stories as fire.
Read More“The Way of Death and Resurrection” (by Rev. Yanchy Lacska, PhD)
Lent can be a confusing time. During the Ash Wednesday liturgy, the priest in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions renders a cross with ashes on each person’s forehead saying, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” These words echo the language of the Christian funeral liturgy, “Ashes to ashes…
Read More“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” (by Ted Lewis)
“Let All Mortal Flesh,” with its haunting minor mood, may be one of the oldest songs associated with Christmas, though in its original context it was part of a eucharistic liturgy. St. James the Lesser, first Bishop of Jerusalem, is thought to have written the core text…
Read More“At the Heart of our Salvation” (by Sister Luce Marie Dionne)
We hear for the last week of Advent the “O Antiphons” which are drawn from scriptural verses of the Old Testament. They consist of Seven Messianic Titles for the Messiah followed by statements of praise and signs signifying the divine unfolding of Christ’s Incarnation. On December 17, for example,
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving (by Rev. Dr. Yanchy Lacska)
Psychological research reveals that our happiness level is remarkably stable over the course of our lives. Some of us are generally more cheerful and others more melancholy. Situations, however, can temporarily change our set happiness levels. For example, falling in love increases our happiness and the ending of a relationship lowers it. But within three…
Read More“I left a light on.” –God (by Warren Bradbury)
It must be the seven large windows, almost floor to ceiling. They are full of light, but I am stuck in the certainty that each day there is less
Read More“The Practice of Starting Over” (by Victor Klimoski)
Several years ago, my friend Sean shared his daily practice of zazen. Every morning, first thing, he would sit for an hour of meditation. “It has changed my life,” he said. Who would not perk up at such testimony? Who would not want a practice that would change their lives?
Read More“As I Live and Breathe!” (by Rev. Fr. Yanchy Lacska)
I grew up in the South and when someone was surprised by something they heard, they would often say, “As I live and breathe!” We are entering the season of Pentecost and it is the beginning of something surprising happening. On Pentecost Sunday we hear the story of the disciples of Jesus gathering together to…
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