Judaism
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Searching with a Lantern
The summer of 1966 was a difficult time for me. In the spring, my father had died suddenly. My mother had decided I should attend Boy Scout camp for a week. In the weeks leading up to it, I had… Continue reading
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Chanukkah and Advent: Dialogue and Hate in the Trumpian Age
Mixing Apples and oranges (or pomegranates). Readers may think I have been doing just that in these reflections on Advent and Chanukkah. Jews and Christians have distinct faiths and teachings. I firmly believe in ecumenical dialogue. Dialogue, to reach an… Continue reading
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Advent and Chanukkah: Lights in the Darkness
A curtain of silence drapes the late autumn and first days of winter. There is a sense of expectation. In the solitude of quiet nights, I find hope and the desire for renewal and deepening of faith in the flickering… Continue reading
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Dilexi Te:The Invisible Among Us
The other evening, my wife arrived home with bags of groceries from the market that we will donate to a food bank for distribution. An act of kindness. A moral imperative. More importantly, an expression of love and faith. And… Continue reading
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Sounding the Shofar: How Then Shall We Live?
The other morning, I found a note in my mailbox from a dear friend. The subject raised for discussion pertained to confession and absolution. This is a timely message as we are in the period of the High Holy Days… Continue reading
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The French Alps, Faith, Forgiveness, Hate, and Carl Sandburg
On Sunday, following dinner, I settled in the living room. My wife and I were undecided whether to watch a film or a television show. We recently became hooked on a French detective program, “Le détective de la montagne” (The… Continue reading
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The “Beloved Community”
Donald Trump made two statements on Tuesday, August 19th that should give us pause. The first is a social media post. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was,… Continue reading
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The Vulnerable and the Venerable Mystery
What does it mean when someone asks you to pray for them? What does the request say about them and you? Prayer is a topic that we relate to public worship, a liturgy. Our engagement in private and personal prayer… Continue reading
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A PERPLEXING QUESTION
Perhaps I have been asking the wrong question. Ben Azzi used to say: “Despise no man and consider nothing impossible for there is no man who does not have his hour and there is nothing that does not have its… Continue reading
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COMPASSION AND CHANGE
Letting in the Fresh Air COMPASSION AND CHANGE Letting in the Fresh Air Bob, an artist friend, recounted a story to me about Cardinal Loris Capovilla, Pope John XXIII’s personal secretary. Father Capovilla told Bob that moments after being elected… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 