Whenever I read the story of Bartimaeus, something settles deep inside of me. This was the story that I first used when I was taught how to pray the scriptures using the ancient Benedictine method of Lectio Divina.
I have a friend who often quotes a saying from Twelve Step Recovery programs, “Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. This sounds like very ancient wisdom, far older than AA.
…a footnote in today’s reading offered me a couple of insights I’ve never thought about.
The rules are always there to protect love. The intention is to provide love a nurturing container. But sometimes the rules seem to block love, don’t they? What do we do?
When I was a child, I was haunted by today’s gospel. Childhood is so brutal, competitive and violent. Passions are untamed. Kids do mean things to one another.
Readings for Sunday, August 7: Psalms 66, 67 (Morning) 2 Samuel 13:1-22 Romans 15:1-13 John 3:22-36 Psalms 19, 46 (Evening) Without a doubt, our Old
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they
Every day that his car was impounded the towing company added another storage fee. By the time my friend was able to go to the lot to see to his vehicle, the costs to reclaim it were prohibitive.
David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, “This is
Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 2 Samuel 11:1-27
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” I don’t want to compromise the traditional understanding of the cross as a call of self-denial and willing suffering service, but it strikes me this morning that there is another experience that has some similar qualities.