“Authority and power are not the same,” Hugh told me. “Power is seized but authority is granted. Power is wielded but authority is exercised.”
Authority: Human and Divine
Sermons
The Backyard, Midwinter
The snow had started up again, but not in earnest — these flurries were the storm’s last, half-hearted, whispered asides — the tail end of a mid-January snowfall that was heading northward into the hills. And there I stood, my intention thwarted, with nothing to do but look around.
Our Essence
We are all children of God.
And when this fundamental claim is at the core of our being — we begin our relationships with each other from the starting place of dignity.
Epiphany Meditation
During Advent, we anticipate the birth of the Christ child. During Christmas, of course, we rejoice at Christ’s birth. What, than, is Epiphany?
Cats and Christmas Trees: A Tricky Business
In case you are not acquainted with this particular maneuver–that is, of bringing a Christmas tree into the house and setting it up — you might benefit from knowing some of the best practices…
The first thing to do, is not do what I do…
The Point of Illumination
An oral tradition is not an act of remembering. It’s an act of maintenance. When something that was written 800 years ago is passed from one generation to the next, it stops being 800 years old, and becomes something that your grandmother taught you.
Mystery is Near
When we find ourselves on the edge — confronted by the inevitable challenge of our mortality, facing eternity, we are humbled by a mystery that cannot be fathomed.
This is a moment of religious desperation, a moment when try, in vain, to tame the ultimate.
Eyes of the Heart, Enlightened
the heart, by itself is a biological necessity, but the heart with eyes is a religious necessity.
The heart must interact with the rest of the world. Then the heart is given meaning. Then the life is given purpose.
Lessons of the Fall
This change — this transformation from heat wave to cold snap… from flourishing to dormancy, from ripple, to ice…is a seasonal reminder that we must learn to be good at letting go; a reassurance, built into the cycle of our lives, that there is no such thing as sadness without beauty…
Prayerful Insistence
Prayer does not take away our responsibility.
Because prayer is not simply a speaking outwards toward God.
Prayer is more than that. Prayer is an acting inward toward God.