Jesus speaks with striking clarity about who He is and why He has come. He paints a picture familiar to His listeners: a sheepfold, a gate, a shepherd, and sheep who recognize the voice of the one who truly cares for them. This is not just a pastoral image, it is a revelation of trust, belonging and life itself.

Jesus contrasts two kinds of voices. There is the voice of the shepherd, who calls his sheep by name, leads them out, and walks ahead of them. Then, there are the voices of strangers, thieves and robbers- who seek to steal, kill and destroy. The sheep, Jesus says, will not follow a stranger because they do not recognize that voice. This raises a question for us: whose voice are we listening to? In a world filled with noise-competing truths, anxieties, and distractions, discerning the voice of Christ becomes essential. His voice does not coerce or confuse; it calls, leads, and gives life….

This coming Tuesday, March 17, is the feast day of St. Patrick, and while you might wear green or drink dyed-green beer, I suggest a different observance − listening to one of my favorite hymns: St. Patrick’s Breastplate. We don’t hear it a lot, likely because it is long − seven verses in our 1982 Hymnal and even longer in other versions!….

The Diocese recently hired a new Canon for Lay and Clergy Formation, the Rev. Tanya Wallace, who will have a dual role. She will help shepherd the people who have been nominated for Holy Orders through the ordination process. And she will also support the spiritual formation of everyone in the Diocese − helping all of us to go deeper in our lives of faith.

Canon Wallace will officially begin her call in January, but she recently met with some of the folks who will be ordained. She offered them a blessing drawn from a lovely prayer from John O’Donahue’s To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. I think it is a wonderful prayer for us all − enjoy!….

Yesterday, October 16, marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The FAO is a global organization that works to support local food systems around the world. These systems are facing challenges that are unique in nature and unprecedented in complexity, and disruptions in supply chains have ripple effects both local and far-reaching….

I am away visiting family this week, so in my absence I offer these words spoken in 1980 by Oscar Romero, Roman Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador, to those in his country who were committing violence in support of an oppressive regime:

Easter is a shout of victory. No one can extinguish that life which Christ revived. Not even death and hatred against him and against his Church will be able to overcome it. Lent is a call to celebrate our redemption in that difficult complex of cross and victory…

Two weeks ago, I wrote about light in the darkness. Since that time, I found myself in St. Paul’s Chapel down at Trinity Church. Inside St. Paul’s are four prayer stations, one of which is centered on the theme of light. I took a prayer card from this station, which...

On this Good Friday, when we remember God’s uncompromising love for us all, I offer these words from The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers:

The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love…the beloved may be treacherous, greasy-headed, and given to evil habits. Yes, and the lover may see this as clearly as anyone else—but that does not affect the evolution of his love one whit. A most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful…Therefore, the value and quality of any love is determined solely by the lover himself…….

When I first learned that my office was going to move to the nave of the church during the reconstruction of our Mission House, I was hesitant. I love my usual office. It is a perfect size for working alone and for 2 or 3 people to gather. There are trees outside all the windows, and I can hear the rotating activities on the Penn South asphalt outside throughout the year. I have most of my meetings in that office and I do most of my writing there, as well. It is the perfect combination of accessible and set apart….

Often, we let our circumstances dictate our faith. We trust God when things are going well, but when things get tough, we start to doubt. We start to question whether He really cares. In part of Sunday’s Gospel, (Mark 12:42-48) we see the faith of the widow was not dependent on her circumstances as she, despite her poverty, gave all she had to the treasury. She was clearly dependent on her trust in God….

As the world around us and our lives grow more and more complicated and stressful, it is often grounding to get back to the simple things in life — like a walk in a park. It’s a good way to let go of our worries and to be present to the beauty of God’s creation. And...