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  Thursday – Feast of the Transfiguration Gospel – Matthew17:1-9 Climbing the Mountain Church of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor   Back when I was in the seminary, the Blue Ridge Mountains were our backyard and climbing the mountain right behind the seminary was a rite of passage.   The goal was to head out immediately after breakfast, race to the base, climb the mountain, race back to the Seminary in time for dinner at 6pm.   It was a grueling test of fortitude but the few moments you had at the top surveying the surrounding countryside were incredibly fulfilling, much less awesome and peaceful. In the Old Testament, mountains are mentioned over 500 times. It was a place where you encountered the divine, where you were closer to God.   Mount Ararat – where Noah’s ark came to rest and God made first covenant.   Mt. Sinai where Moses met God, received Ten Commandments and his face shone white.   Mount of Olives where Jesus often went to pray. ...
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  Wednesday – 18 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Matthew 15:21-28 A Leap of Faith Delivery Day, TN Exactly 2 years ago today, a large U-Haul truck arrived at our newly built home here in Tennessee, filled with all our earthly Chicago possessions.   Fun Fact – they actually tried delivering our ‘stuff’ the day before.   But the semi-trailer could not navigate the tight turns on our driveway.   So they retreated to the local truck stop and transferred everything to a smaller vehicle.   Sheesh! Within a few hours, they had moved everything into our Heiskell home – a few pieces of furniture and dozens of cardboard boxes, so many piled up that they blocked the windows and created a maze-like walkway throughout the house!   It took us weeks to wade through all those cartons, not to mention countless trips to the local recycle center to drop off all those empty boxes.   Looking back, Ginger and I both realize what a tremendous leap of faith we ma...
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  Tues day – St. John Vianney Gospel –   Matthew14:22-36 Super Heroes! St Mary’s Church, Newport MD So, a simple question to start the day.   Who is your favorite superhero?   Superman?   Batman?   Wonder Woman?   Black Panther?   Thor?   For me?   None of the above!   My superhero was and always has been Green Lantern!   I loved his costume; I loved that, in spite of all his powers, he had a weakness – the color yellow.   But most of all, I loved his OATH: In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight Let those who worship evil's might, Beware my power ... Green Lantern 's light !   For me, that pledge embodied in the simplest of words his morality and his beliefs!   He stands for good and against evil, no matter when and no matter where!   He is a beacon of light in the darkness!   We can really get caught up with superheroes.   I always thought that, if ...