Posts

Image
  Monday – 5th Week in Lent   3/23/26   revisited Gospel - John 8:1-11 Expecting the worst Garden of Gethsemane Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?   Where exactly were the Pharisees hiding in order to catch the woman in the act of adultery?   How long were they hiding? How long had they been planning this?    Why would they put so much time and energy into expecting someone to sin, much less catch them at it? Jesus was spending some time in the Garden of Gethsemane praying and was then confronted by this situation.   The difference between Him and the Pharisees is stark.   The Pharisees seem to view people at their worst and expect nothing less, nothing more.   They pre-judge others based on their past and don’t even allow the possibility that they could change.   Jesus sees the woman, forgives her sins (her past) and challenges her to do better. Where are we?   Do we judge others based on something they did in the past? ...
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
  5 th Sunday of Lent Gospel – John 11:1-45 Orange “Crushed” Empty Tomb A few years ago, we were over at our daughter’s house, helping our son-in-law and grandsons rake up all the leaves in the front yard.   It’s a very large space and we were filling large plastic bags left and right.   As we were nearing the end of the job, I glanced at my right hand and noticed that my ring was missing, gone, disappeared!   This was a high school class ring, not my own, but my dad’s from 1939.   It was handed down to me right after my dad passed away.   I never even knew he had a class ring but ever since that day I have worn it proudly and lovingly!   So to suddenly find it missing left me in panic!   We had easily 6 or 7 huge bags filled with leaves and we tore into them frantically trying to find it.   I admit that, at one point, I stepped back in tears, convinced it was lost forever.   It was terrifying and I lost hope, if only for a mome...
Post a Comment
Read more
Image
  Saturday – 4 th Week of Lent   3/21/26   revisited Gospel – John 7:40-53 The “Awful” Truth Church of the Beatitudes, Galilee Remember when you were little and someone told you something you just didn’t want to hear?   Maybe a best friend decided you were no longer friends!   Maybe your parents were handing out your punishment for breaking that glass or for ignoring countless ‘requests’ to clean your room.   Or maybe they couldn’t get you that one toy you hoped for as a birthday present.   That awful truth or that hard lesson that you just refused to listen to!   So you covered your ears with your hands and mumbled some nonsense syllables to keep out those honest and truthful words. It seems as if that is exactly what is happening in today’s Gospel.   The crowd of people get it!   Jesus is a Prophet, the Christ! Even the guards hear Jesus’ words and believe; as a result, they are reluctant to arrest him.   But the Pharisee...
Post a Comment
Read more