Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany (Year 1, NL)

The kingdom of heaven inspires devotion, commitment, and downright unreasonableness.

If so, what did he mean?

In Psalm 84, an expectant swallow makes her nest in the temple.

And that conversation’s inevitable limits

The people come, bringing something of themselves. Then they leave.

In God's kingdom, sometimes less is more.

Stories of Christians working in the world offer hope that heals.

The religious world we know was formed between 250 and 50 B.C.E.

In God's life, all creatures get attention.

We can be joined by our suffering, not just separated.

I have come to realize how mysterious a thing a seed is.

To be a follower of the one who promised that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed is to expect a blessed in-breaking of peace.

The Prodigal Son is often read to mean that God loves sinners, whereas the Jews thought God only loved the righteous. This makes no sense.

I was startled earlier this year when news anchor Peter Mansbridge called someone a Good Samaritan on The National, the flagship nightly newscast of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. I was surprised that in our secularized, multifaith society, newswriters assumed that listeners would understand an allusion from the Bible.

On second thought, I was less surprised.

Six words of scripture always transport me to an amazing place: “The kingdom of heaven is like . . .”

We all see weeds, but we shouldn't make it our business to separate them.

On Sundays, my mother stayed home and read the paper. Yet she insisted that we kids go to church.