Cup o' Joe

Genesis 18:20-32; Luke 11:1-13 Did I read that title correctly?  You're asking me NOT to pray?  Yes, that's correct - unless.  Unless we have the courage and breadth and trust of Abraham.  Unless we are willing to become the instrument of prayer that we desire.  Unless we are willing to place God and God's will at the center and not our own ego and needs.  If those th...

Genesis 18:1-10a; Luke 10:38-42 This Sunday, we hear the story of God as guest at our table and the varied reactions that brings.  At different times in our lives, we are Sarah or Abraham, we are Martha or we are Mary.  But if we are to mature into the fullness of discipleship, we must stop living in one camp or the other.  We must breathe not with one lung, but with both. &nbs...

Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Luke 10:25-37 Moses reminds the Hebrew people - and through them, us - that one doesn't have to have a title or degree in Theology to understand God.  God is not a puzzle to be figured out or a mystery to be solved.  God is not elsewhere and must be sought.  God is within, nearer to us than we are ourselves.  And what does this Presence of God, this Law of...

Isaiah 66:10-14c, Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 On this weekend in which we celebrate our nation's independence, we look at how Israel looked at themselves.  How do we balance blessings and being chosen alongside the seedy underbelly of the reality?  How do we do that on a national scale and how do we do that on an individual level?  No easy answers - that is a hard struggle.  We explore...

I Kings 19:16b, 19-21;  Luke 9:51-62 After spending 90+ days in what the Church calls Privileged Time, we are back in Ordinary Time this weekend.  So we talk about what "ordinary time" is as opposed to those special, unique or life-changing moments we all go through. Then we dive into the first reading and the Gospel - which today is easy to see the tie.  And what is that?  Wha...

1 Corinthians 11:23-26;  Gospel of Luke, 9:11b-17 Today we look at the readings for this Sunday's feast of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.  Our first reading reminds us that Paul, writing before any of the Gospels have been written, is already passing on what the early Church had made a practice - that of sharing the Eucharist.  The Gospel invites us into that effort. ...

Romans 5:1-5;  Gospel of John, 16:12-15 We look ahead to Sunday's Feast of the Most Holy Trinity - and so seek to unpack an idea.  But this feast is less about facts and knowledge, and more about relationships and movement.  How do we have eyes to see the God who is all around us? Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2, verses 1-11; Gospel of John, Chapter 20, verses 19-23 Today, we preview the readings for this Sunday's upcoming Feast of Pentecost.  God sends us God's very Spirit to be with us always.  And what does that bring?  Unity and a voice.  But not a voice that is separate and distinct.  Our voice only finds life in service of the One Voice. Origi...

Gospel of John, Chapter 17, verses 20-26 We finish (yes, really!) Jesus's Last Supper Discourse, and His final words are words of prayer - asking God that "they may be one as we are one."  My friends, we are either working toward that reality or we are adding to the demise of it.  So of course, we had to bring back WB Yeats for a repeat performance.  

Gospel of John, Chapter 17, verses 11b-19 Jesus draws near to the conclusion of His great discourse.  And in some of His final words, Jesus discusses sending out the disciples into a world that will and already does hate them...a world of which they are not a part.  This is good stuff and it deserves to be fleshed out.  So what does that mean for you and I? Original Score written an...

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 39-56 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation and within it, we get a taste of the person of Mary.  We see Mary's humility, strength, trust and kindness.  We also hear Mary's tour de force in proclaiming the Magnificat...and in this proclamation sets a pattern for you and I Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 1, verses 1-11 Rather than continuing through the 16th Chapter of John's Gospel, we take a day to step back into the Holy Day and celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus.  Today we listen to Luke's rendition in Acts of the Apostles.  Rather than a story of fear, this is a story of great trust...trust in the Apostles, trust in the Holy Spirit, trust in...

Gospel of John, Chapter 16, verses 20-23 Jesus speaks of the second Fruit of the Spirit today: Joy.  So today we unpack what it is and what it is not.  We also hear your goofball host confuse John Keats for WB Yeats.  And I call myself an Irishman... Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of John, Chapter 16, verses 16-20. Jesus continues giving His final wisdom to His friends - and today's lesson is about grief turning to joy.  "In a day or so you will not see me, and a day or so later you will see me".  Jesus is laying out the path, not only for His friends, but for us, too. St. Philip Neri, pray for us Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of John, Chapter 16, verses 12-15 Jesus holds up a mirror and gives a reality check to the disciples by naming where they are in their spiritual journey.  He has much more to tell them, but they are not ready for it yet.  As Paul would contrast later in his letter to the Corinthians, the disciples are yet infants.  What was true then is still true now.  We all have growt...

Gospel of John, Chapter 16, verses 5-11 Jesus reemphasizes His point from yesterday about the coming of the Advocate.  But Jesus approaches it in a different way.  This Coming, Jesus says, can only happen if first He ascends to the Father.  Before there can be a Coming, there has to be a Going.   Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of John, Chapter 15:25-16:4a Jesus continues His Last Supper discourse with the disciples, speaking of two coming realities.  One - you will not be alone.  An Advocate is coming to be with you in the midst of wherever the future takes you.  Two - that future won't always be filled with good things.  But Christ promises to be with us in the midst of it. Original Score wri...

Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verses 12-17 Jesus, continuing to give His final wisdom to his friends, leaves them with one very memorable thing: His Great Commandment.  Love one another as I have loved you.  Jesus takes all of the teachings of the Law, the Prophets and the Wisdom literature and sums it up in eight words.  Brilliant.  Perhaps there is an example there for us to fo...

Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verses 9-11 In what may be our shortest Gospel to date, Jesus challenges us to remain in His love.  So how, exactly, do we do that?  We talk about two ways today... Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verses 1-8 Jesus speaks to His friends about vines and branches, attachment and separation.  It's all about our choice.  Do we wish to be grafted on to the vine or attempt to find life outside of that space?  Our decision will have repercussions in terms of our growth.   Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verses 27-31a Jesus continues His final words to His friends and in doing so, foreshadows the first words He will speak to the disciples post-resurrection: Peace I leave with you.  But what, exactly, is the peace Jesus is inviting us into?  How is it different than the world offers peace?  To answer that, we look to a disciple of Jesus who spent some time...

Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verses 21-26 Jesus continues with His Last Supper Discourse, in which Jesus reminds us what love looks like.  It looks like action.  And with the help of St. Augustine, we flesh that out a bit.  Love is not so much a feeling as it is a decision.  Love is a decision to do the next right thing with the tools at our disposal - our eyes, ears, hands and...

Gospel of John, Chapter 14, verses 1-6 Jesus, on the night before He dies, leaves His friends with one of His most beautiful teachings: You do not need to let your hearts be troubled.  I will not leave you.  It's all about relationship and our God is a God of abundance.  This episode might stretch you. Original Score written and performed by Bridget Zenk

Gospel of John, Chapter 13, verses 12-20 As we reach the halfway point of our Easter season, Jesus demonstrates for us the pattern that He invites us all into.  And if we live that pattern of humility and acceptance of the other, our lives will be blessed.  Not because God will then see what we are doing and bless us for it.  But in living this pattern, we shed the excess baggage we...

Gospel of John, Chapter 12, verses 44-50 Jesus, in summing up His ministry to date, puts out the choice for each of us: Which way will you go.  Will you see the Light and embrace it?  Or will you go your own way?  Jesus makes clear that He will not reject us as He has come into the world to save it, not reject it.  But if we go our own way, we are willfully rejecting the Light....