Author Archive
March 30th, 2017 by Admin
Loyal Miles Poet William Carlos Williams wrote that there are “no ideas but in things”—a principle he practiced in his poetry through an emphasis on common language and the details of everyday life. This aesthetic likely grew out of Williams’s career as a physician tasked to examining and treating the body. One of Williams’s best-known⦠Read More
March 29th, 2017 by Admin
Naila Meyers In the chapter “Repentance” in her Lenten study on forgiveness, Majorie J. Thompson writes, “It can feel remarkably hard to apologize to someone, even for a relatively minor offense.” But for me, it is remarkably easy to reflexively say, “I’m sorry,” even for minor offenses I didn’t commit. Countless think pieces have been⦠Read More
March 28th, 2017 by Admin
Rebecca Grudzina Of all the steps in the process of forgiveness, I think repentance is the most out of style at the moment, at least for a bunch of 21st-century New Yorkers. When was the last time someone looked you in the face and told you to repent? Can you imagine a therapist, or a⦠Read More
March 27th, 2017 by Admin
Liza Horstman I’ve always thought that I was pretty good at repenting. I have almost no trouble realizing when I am rude to one of my neighbors, or when I place more importance on material things than on my relationship with God. I even tend to beat myself up over these sins. But in all⦠Read More
March 26th, 2017 by Admin
Polly Wheat Repentance. A complex word—perhaps including regret, or contrition, or even shame. Is it “I’m sorry?” I hear this often from my wonderful granddaughter, who, as a normal 2-1/2 year-old, tests boundaries, not in-frequently stepping over the line. Mommy steps in—“Say ‘I’m sorry to Gammy and Papa.’” Several requests later we hear a muffled⦠Read More
March 25th, 2017 by Admin
Rebecca Zuber To be honest, I can’t wrap my brain around the word “repentance.” Is it an action? A state of mind? Something else entirely?? So, I turn to good old Merriam-Webster. First off, “repent” means “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” Looking at “repentance,” it is “the⦠Read More
March 24th, 2017 by Admin
Kurt Andrews Every Lenten season I think of the last prayers of Jesus as he was dying on the cross. He prayed (Luke 23:24), “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I’m amazed at how Jesus summoned the strength to ask God to forgive the very people responsible for his crucifixion as⦠Read More
March 23rd, 2017 by Admin
Joyce Palevitz Honestly? It’s my brain that usually gets me into trouble. I have learned that my easiest path to judging another person – or group of people – is the fact that I almost always think I’m the smartest person in the room. My intellect, which I guard with fierce pride, is my burden.⦠Read More
March 22nd, 2017 by Admin
Kathleen Udo Like manners, forgiveness is a learned skill only developed with time. The act of forgiveness is as important as the concept of apology. I still recall being “forced” as a child to tell my sister I forgave her for “stealing” something from me. My “verbal” forgiveness did little to calm the “rage” inside⦠Read More
March 21st, 2017 by Admin
Lindsey Summer Reynolds When we hear the Beatitudes, it can be easy to recognize ourselves among one or more of the blessed. Whether you’re feeling poor in spirit, mourning, or hungering for righteousness, these words apply to all of us at different stages in our lives. There is one, though, that can inspire us any⦠Read More