Living with gratitude. Being thankful. Is it more than just being polite and saying, “Thank you!” for the kindness shown to you? Perhaps we can understand thanksgiving by focusing on the giving. In this video, I share thoughts based on the work of Spanish mystic Francisco de Osuna. The following… Read More »Thanksgiving and Giving
When I was a child, I would bring home a small cardboard “piggy bank” from church each year at the beginning of Lent. The children at my church were told to place coins in the bank and fill it up and bring it back to church at Easter. This was… Read More »Lent: Giving for the Life of the World
Giving thanks. In North America, we ritualize our gratitude with a Thanksgiving holiday. In Canada, the holiday occurs in early October. In the US, it’s late November. Of course, expressing gratitude is more than just a day. Many spiritual writers understand that gratitude is a basic foundation for living life… Read More »Thanksgiving and Giving
Lent is just not the same this year. Many people value the practice of receiving ashes on their foreheads. In past years in urban areas, clergy have stood on street corners offering ashes-to-go to anyone who wanted them. This year, many churches have no services or are open for limited… Read More »Three Spiritual Practices for Lent during the Pandemic
People started asking me the question the day before Ash Wednesday: what are you giving up for Lent? It seems that the time before Easter known as Lent has become synonymous with giving up or fasting from day to day pleasures, like candy, the use of social media, or… Read More »Giving for Lent
When it comes to Christmas, what do you believe? It’s like it happened yesterday. I woke up Christmas morning. It was still dark outside. No one else was awake in the house. I made my way from my bedroom, through the living room, to the dining room where my family… Read More »Yes, I Believe in Santa Claus
It was an enjoyable evening with friends. A half dozen of us gathered in a restaurant for dinner. I hadn’t realized it until we all sat at the table: three of us were members of the clergy while the other three hold no connection to organized religion. Given the make-up… Read More »Giving or Giving Up for Lent
Homily in Memory of Dorothy B. Kavar October 12, 1927 – May 19, 2012 Delivered at her funeral, May 23, 2012, by Dr. Lou Kavar In the gospels, Jesus uses many metaphors to describe the realm of God – that dimension where we encounter the Divine. When we consider those… Read More »Homily in Memory of Dorothy B. Kavar