Epiphany IJanuary 11, 2026Isaiah 42:1-9 ; Acts 10:34-43 ; Matthew 3:13-17 We have all experienced not knowing how to greet someone. There is that brief moment of hesitation: should we shake hands, kiss, wave, or give each other a bise? This momentary awkwardness, which we pay little attention to, also occurs when we have to…
The EpiphanyJanuary 4, 2026Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 The story of the visit of the Magi to Jesus is an ideal place to start when exploring Ignatian spirituality and its way of interpreting the bible. The method is easy to remember. Broadly speaking, it has six steps. (1) Still your mind. Pray…
Advent IVDecember 21, 2025Isaiah 7:10-16Romans 1:1-7Matthew 1:18-25 When I was a child, I developed a somewhat all-consuming passion for stick insects… I had several species in terrariums in my room until the day I learned (thanks to my sister’s screams) that some of them had escaped, causing a domestic commotion! Stick insects have several surprising…
Advent INovember 30, 2025Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24 :36-44 How do we initially react when we hear the words “judge” and “judgment”? It depends greatly on our personal experience (even professional experience, for some) with courts, justice, and judges. It also depends on how we have used the justice system. A defendant, a victim,…
Pentecost XXOctober 26, 2025Joel 2:23-32 II Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14 The United States is a fascinating country. Few places in the world have such a diversity of movements that all claim to follow the same Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t be surprised if God himself had given up counting how many church movements there are…
English Pentecost XVI September 28, 2025Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 When in church, we often read Jesus’ stories in a very devotional way, which sometimes keeps us from seeing that they are often caricatural, humorous, or even biting. Much of his social critique and his moral insightsare expressed in this manner. We tend to listen to or to read Jesus’ words as if they were the oracles of a deity—and,…
English Pentecost XIII September 7, 2025Jeremiah 18:1-11 Psalm 139:1-5, 13-18 Philemon 1:1-21 Luke 14:25-33 I am often struck by the gap between the way the first disciples, like Paul, lived the Gospel and the way we live the gospel today. Many times, the words of Jesus themselves seem very much at odds with how we…
Pentecost XI August 24, 2025 Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17 Before the invention of the steam engine powered by coal, most of the pulling force needed to handle very heavy objects relied on animal or human strength (often enforced), and on two major technical innovations: the lever and the pulley. It is…
Pentecost IXAugust 10, 2025Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24 Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40 August 10 is a special kind of anniversary for me—what I like to call my “Americanniversary.” It’s the day I first set foot in the United States: August 10, 2016! I had been offered a position to teach French for a year…
Pentecost V (Bastille Day)July 13, 2025Amos 7:7-17 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37 I have never liked flags in churches, or even in front of churches. And I am very happy that when Nigel arrived at St. Esprit, he put ours away in the basement! Patriotism always seems out of place in a church to me. Flags…