[Pearls Ep 159:  Preparing for Sunday.] I can still hear Robert Plant moaning from the boombox in the back of the bus, “And she’s bi-i-ying a stair-air-way to hea-vun…” As it turns out we don’t have to buy a stairway.  It’s waiting for us free of charge.  Well, not exactly free. As we prepare for Read More >

[Pearls Ep 159:  Preparing for Sunday.] In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus delivers the MOAB (in military speak that is “Mother Of All Bombs” – but we might think of it as “Mother Of All Blessings”) – “Love your enemy.” Easy enough to say that back then – they just had the Pharisees. We have Davos. Read More >

[Pearls Ep 158:  Answering atheism Tuesday.] As we finish reflecting on Sunday’s Gospel, we note that Jesus turns everything inside out by starting with the Old Testament law, and then showing how we are meant to not just blindly go through the motions, but allow the OT law to transform our interior. But this presupposes Read More >

[Pearls Ep 158:  Bringing Sunday into the week.] Only 9 more shopping days until Lent.  Or something like that… Each year Ash Wednesday creeps up like a thief in the night.  It seems “Hark the Herald Angel” and “Auld Lang Syne” were just last week.  Well … perhaps that’s because at the Smith house, we Read More >

[Pearls Ep 158:  Preparing for Sunday.] In this week’s Pearls of the Interior Life we look at five particularly powerful words from Sunday’s Gospel reading (an abridged version of the passage is in the postscript). One of the keys to Christian Meditation is to place ourself in the setting of our spiritual reading (and the Read More >

[Pearls Ep 158:  Preparing for Sunday.] This Sunday’s gospel reading takes us deeper into the Sermon on the Mount – deeper into Jesus’ vision of Christian life lived to the full. Jesus now transitions into cautionary notes about our conduct.  The full passage is in the postscript, but for example, “You have heard that it Read More >

[Pearls Ep 157:  Answering atheism Tuesday.] In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to go out and be Salt and Light to the world.  That should be a pretty easy sell to a world that is mostly bland (the “monoculture” of mainstream media and “social” media) and gloomy (how ‘bout them headlines…). But the world isn’t Read More >

[Pearls Ep 157:  Bringing Sunday into the week.] In yesterday’s Gospel reading (copied in the postscript), Jesus calls us to be salt and light to the world. In Friday’s reflection ended with this: Perhaps this weekend, in meditating with this scripture, ask God how you bring salt and light to the world.  God sees things Read More >

[Pearls Ep 157:  Preparing for Sunday.] We’re looking at Jesus’ comparisons of salt and light – that we should be the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.” Salt and light are similar, but there are subtleties. Salt brings out the goodness of what it touches – and preserves it.  The general rule Read More >

[Pearls Ep 157:  Preparing for Sunday.] In this Sunday’s Gospel reading (5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week A), Jesus presents the comparison of salt and light (Mt 5:13-16).  We’re called to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” In this week’s Pearls of the Interior Life, and our follow-up messages, Read More >