Untitled

On his way to the Theatre of Pompey, where he would be assassinated, a haughty Julius Caesar passes the seer who had warned him that harm would come to him on the Ides of March. “Well, the Ides of March are come,” says Caesar, mocking the seer. “Aye, they are come,” says the seer, “but they are not gone.” By the end of the Ides of March in 44 BCE, Caesar’s power over the Roman Republic had come…

Jesus' parable of the good shepherd is timeless and timely in 2023.

Confused and confusing My head is swirling. I can’t keep up. My relationship with the news is like my 17 year-old son’s description of an older married couple he’d just met: “She’s confused, and he’s confusing.” The world is confusing, I’m confused, and it’s about to get worse. Macular degeneration has not yet affected my reading, but, according to my ophthalmologist, it likely won’t be long…

Jim Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee and Elijah's kindergarten class took field trips on the same day, as different as night from day.

Same day — different field trips The day Congressman Jim Jordan took his House Judiciary Committee on a field trip to NYC, Elijah’s kindergarten teacher took the five year-olds on a field trip to the Science Museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Mr. Jordan’s committee went to NYC to hold a “field hearing” to expose the failure of the “pro-crime, anti-victim” policies of Democrats like Manhattan…

This post comes in two parts. The first was written the day between on Holy Saturday (the day between Good Friday and Easter); the was written yesterday, the second Sunday of Easter. The Silence of Holy Saturday Everything falls into silence today. Jesus is crucified, dead, and buried behind the heavy rock of a borrowed tomb. Armed guards stand on either side of the stone that secures the tomb;…

Over the years, every Palm Sunday has spoken to my experience in ways I did not expect. Today is no different. The Gospels’ narrative of Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem, when seen in the light of the later events of Holy Week, strikes me as if for the first time.as has special meaning in this year of absurdity when seen in light of later events of Holy Week. I no longer fixate on the…

I'd like to say I don't get it, but I'm afraid I do. You and your country are not the center of the universe.

In these times, Ezekiel’s valley of the bones comes to mind. The valley is full of bones. The bones are everywhere, and they are very dry. There is no hope. A Voice speaks from the midst of the valley: “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answer, “No. They’re dead. They’re all dead!’’ To which the Voice responds, “Of course they are. They’re dead, but don’t you see? They are you. You and your people…

There is no such thing as Christian nationalism. It’s an oxymoron. Come to think of it, so are Jesus and those who confuse Jesus with power. “You are a king, then?” asks Pilate. Jesus responds, “You have said so!” You, not I, say so. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke paint pictures of Jesus alone in the wilderness, where the Satan (the Twister/the Liar) puts him to the test. “All these (nations) I…

“It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” — Andy Rooney Andy Rooney had a great sense of humor. On a normal day, Andy tickled me. It was like sitting on the front porch, rocking, and whittling a twig with grandpa. Andy’s wisdom was down home. Anyone could get it. He made us laugh at ourselves; other times he…

Reflections the day after Presidents Day.

Today’s post is in two parts. Part one was written before the State of the Union Address. Part two was added after the Address. PART ONE: Finding a Foothold America is stumbling. In such a time as this, looking back at an earlier anxious moment may help us regain a footing. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is one of those moments. The body of President Lincoln lay in State in Independence…

“King of the Hill” came to mind while looking for some explanation for the cruelty we saw in Memphis. This incident seems different. Tyre Nichols had not been stopped for “driving while Black.” The cops were also Black. Why would five Black cops stop a young Black man to beat him as though they were members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)? This horror was not about race. What happened was about…

“King of the Hill” came to mind while looking for some explanation for the cruelty we saw in Memphis. This incident seems different. Tyre Nichols had not been stopped for “driving while Black.” The cops were also Black. Why would five Black cops stop a young Black man to beat him as though they were members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)? This horror was not about race. What happened was about…

“…The world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around…. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.”THE REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Memphis, TN, April 4, 1969 The world was messed up on April 4, 1969, the night the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr spoke these words in his last speech. America was sick. It was…

ELIJAH (5 yrs. old): Bumpa, now that Santa Claus is in Congress, will he still come next Christmas? BUMPA: Santa Claus isn’t in Congress. Uh-hu! He’s all over the news. He’s very conventional. Don’t you watch the News Hour or listen to NPR? I do. Grandma and I watch the News Hour every night. I think maybe you meant ‘controversial’. Then you saw him with your own two eyes. He looks different…

The day prayers set off the hospital fire alarm

Some memories blur over time. Others, like the hospital visit with Nee-gon-we-way-we-dun (Clyde Bellecourt, Jr), still ring the fire alarm. I had come to visit Clyde — Nee-gon-we-way-we-dun (“Thunder Before the Storm”) — in the cardiac care unit after he had suffered a minor heart attack. It had been Clyde and the Legal Rights Center (LRC) Board who invited me to step in as LRC’s interim…

The day prayers set off the hospital fire alarm

Some memories blur over time. Others, like the hospital visit with Nee-gon-we-way-we-dun (Clyde Bellecourt, Jr), still ring the fire alarm. I had come to visit Clyde — Nee-gon-we-way-we-dun (“Thunder Before the Storm”) — in the cardiac care unit after he had suffered a minor heart attack. It had been Clyde and the Legal Rights Center (LRC) Board who invited me to step in as LRC’s interim…

Why I Stayed Home this Christmas

Christmas felt different this year. I did not feel the Light shining in darkness. It feels as though the darkness has overcome the light. I feel the heaviness of bombed out, homeless Ukrainians more than Zelenkov’s resistance lightens my spirit. “Faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.” Love overflows the banks of hope, and no hope that ignores reasons for despair is worth…