Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year 1, NL)

As I mentioned before, I’ve been reading this strange book called The Spiritual Meadow, written by sixth-century wandering monk John Moschos. One of the last stories in the book was as relevant to my daily existence as any story I have read in a long time. I have only the vaguest idea what it means, but I do know it’s another weird monk joke. And this one was aimed directly at me.

The story goes like this: In the ancient city of Antioch, the church had various kinds of social services. “A man who was a friend of Christ” used to gather supplies and give them out to people in need.

"How can you defend those people?" That's a question we public defenders hear a lot.

Michael Moore's work is that of a repentant sinner called to bring the news—not all of it good—to folks who would rather do without it.

To build stronger communities, we need to get in the habit of recognizing what undergirds our relationships. We can't afford to take it for granted.

I'm not a big fan of reality TV, yet I'm drawn to one reality show: Undercover Boss.

Benedictine monks are famous for taking Matthew 25:36 to heart.

We need to be reminded, as we celebrate Pentecost, that the Spirit is always much bigger and more "other" than we normally think.

Does our discomfort over God’s judgment come from the fear of taking sides? Or the fear of being found on the wrong one?