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Back in my ECUSA days I had a nemesis on the internet. They would literally pounce on anything I said. To be fair they were anyone’s nemesis. There was a reply for everything and everything got a reply. I met this person when I first logged on to Prodigy. They were there when we opened…

The Readings for the Memorial of St Peter ClaverMonday in the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, C1 Colossians 1:24-2:3 Luke:6:6-11 Qui nunc gaudeo in passionibus pro vobis, et adimpleo ea quae desunt passionem Christi, in carne mea pro corpore ejus, quod est EcclesiaI rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I…

JMJ I noticed an overlap in the Greek words used in Sunday’s EF and OF readings. In the OF Gospel Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever loves me will keep my word…” (John 14:23) Which in Greek is: άν τις γαπ με, τὸν λόγον μου τηρήσει. In the EF Epistle, St James says (in one…

As Typology is such an important tool for understanding the Bible – in fact, the Bible is meaningless without it – it can seem odd that it’s largely unknown outside of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. For 1,000 years Typology was really the primary tool used to understand the scriptures, but today the twin errors…

+JMJ+ The Church’s story is filled with hermit saints: St Mary of Egypt, my personal favorite among them, but St Mary Magdalen, St Jerome, St Anthony, St Simon, St Seraphim praying in the woods, St Julian and her cat… so many many more. They went away to pray, to encounter God, to find their souls…

+JMJ+ I’ve heard this sermon so many times. I’ve preached this sermon at least once or twice.  I want to call bullshit. Or Sheepshit. The text is Matthew 25:31–46 and you can click through to read the whole thing, although here are the preces: Jesus says at the Last Judgement God will divide us as a farmer does…

+JMJ+ In today’s epistle, the Love Chapter from 1st Corinthians, Paul says: If I give away everything I own,and if I hand my body over so that I may boast,but do not have love, I gain nothing. Through several accidents of tradition and translation, some folks today say that all of Christianity can be boiled down…

by Susan Cooper So the shortest day came, and the year died,And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white worldCame people singing, dancing,To drive the dark away. They lighted candles in the winter trees;They hung their homes with evergreen;They burned beseeching fires all night longTo keep the year alive, And when the new year’s sunshine…

+JMJ+ I have heard from my confessor of White Knuckling. To put this as clearly as I can, it’s the way I tend to ward off sin: Nope. Not gonna do it. Not gonna do it. Not gonna do it. Not gonna do it. Not gonna do it. Not gonna do it. Not gonna. Not…

+JMJ+ Thanksgiving is always partly about the remembrance of things past. Food memories all tie together. One problem with “friendsgiving” is if you’re not eating with your family you have no shared memories. Your Mom may have burned the pan of dressing every year, but that was her dressing and the whole family knew it. Your…

+JMJ+ A list of reasons not to use hand sanitizer before distribution of Holy Communion: 1 It only kills the germs in your hands in the moment. If you’re sick you shouldn’t be giving out communion, and this will not stop you from passing germs to those you touch, breathe on, etc. 2 It contains…

+JMJ+ To see us all in glory spreadAcross all ages sownOn Trinal throne our risen headHis members gladly own Seen thus can demons terrifyBy the very brillianceBut focused only through one eyeYou see but this demense How gleeful is the evil hostTo make you yeild‘Gainst gates of hell you will not boastIf but this sword…