Author: Linda Ryan

“What has bothered me a lot this week is the incident the other evening at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC.  Clergy and members of the congregation had been peacefully handing out water and snacks to the peaceful protesters who stopped by. Some protesters asked for prayers or just to talk to someone about their concerns. St. John’s has been serving the community since colonial times and was continuing its mission using the hands of those who took their ministry of Christian service to others very seriously.”

“The thing that speaks to me about Aguayo’s poem is that it speaks from a perspective of a deeply empathetic person, one who sees life differently through the lenses of his own mental illness and who has a sincere faith. I especially love the last two lines, “Joan wants no beauty in her,/but in the people for whom for whom she fought.” For Joan, it was not about fame or glory, but for her country and country’s folk. Her voices told her what needed to be done and trusted her to pass on the message. She believed them in turn as genuine messengers from God, and, as such, she obeyed them.”

“That led me to ponder how things, even sacred things like scripture, may need to be changed to fit a situation, ceremony, event, or artist’s concept. Painters and sculptors have taken Bible stories and, through their culture, imagination, and wishes of the patron commissioning the work, have dressed characters in period costume rather than in clothing of the Biblical time.  Poets and writers described people and actions to convey how they perceived the characters and situations to have been at the time, although often throwing in emotions, activities, and thoughts of the current time.”

“To be a follower of Jesus, we should look for the narrow gate, the harder route. Jesus keeps reminding us that following him was, is, and always will be hard. The world generally takes the easy way, but Christians who practice their faith as Jesus showed them, will look to the promise of heaven in the future, not the simple, easy way here on earth.”

“Be a reflector for God in the world, continue to hope, work for mutual respect among people, and try to stay safe, for yourselves and those around you. Practice love, even toward those who are unloveable.”

“This week I’m conscientiously trying to listen to what is essential, not only with my ears but also my heart. I’m trying to hear messages of hope and trust, not condemnations, self-congratulations, or words of divisiveness.”

“The idea of caring for the earth and its resources is a concept far older than Earth Day and goes back to the earliest chapters of the Bible. Earth and all stars were created by God and given to us to care for and nurture so that it might provide for us abundantly.”

“Sometimes I think it would be good if we had a pillar of cloud by day and one of fire by night so that we could be sure of the direction God wants us to go. It would be easier than trying to figure it out by trial and error. Sure, the Bible guides us, and we have the opportunity for meditation and prayer, which can enable us to listen for God’s direction; however, individual interpretation and discernment can often take people in different directions even when using the same scriptures and requests.”

“Perhaps this Easter may turn out to be the most joyous one ever, simply because it is something that brings us hope in the darkness, celebration amid despair, and a reason for rejoicing despite all the gloom and doom. Easter is something to be celebrated, no matter what the circumstances.”

“No, I don’t think God sent this COVID-19 to punish us for our evildoings, although it is showing us where evil, greed, and bragging has gotten us.”