Thanksgiving Day can be a loaded cultural icon, an indicator of our place in American culture. The turkey, the football games, the parades, the pumpkin pies. An idyllic image of whole families coming together to feast over the bounty of the harvest year. Of boats and pilgrims and Native Americans all gathered together in peace…

An undeniable characteristic of St. Paul is his continuous, almost bubbling gratitude for his redemption through Jesus Christ. This is the meaning of true joy – a reality not dependent on circumstances but on a radical change of being. From a human standpoint, Paul would have been much better off had he remained a Pharisee….

The Grammy-award-winning singer Mary Chapin Carpenter recently suffered a pulmonary embolism. She was admitted to an emergency room after experiencing terrible chest pain. A scan revealed blood clots in her lungs. People told her that she should feel lucky because a pulmonary embolism can be fatal. But instead of feeling lucky, she fell into a…

We all know that Scripture is made up of many different types of literature. But we don’t often think of Scripture as good theater. But when you think of it—there’s lots of opportunity for theatrical presentations in the stories of the Bible. Think back to the times you either participated in a Sunday school or…

On this day, the people of our land all dream the same dream. From one end of the nation to the other, in the cities and in the suburbs, in the towns and on the farms, we dream a common dream. The dream reveals the best that is in us as a people. It shows…

And you shall remember all the ways which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 Wilbur Lucius Cross was governor of Connecticut from 1931-1939. A…

A priest colleague of mine tells the story of a friend who was about to enter a large, exclusive department store. Standing back to allow a young woman to enter the door before him, enter she did while he held the door, and without a “thank-you” or a nod, she proceeded on her way. Needless…