Last week we celebrated Memorial Day, the occasion on which we honor those men and women who have given their lives for our country during armed conflict. On that day we honor those men and women who, as President Lincoln put it at Gettysburg, gave the last full measure of devotion. However, we do more
On February 3, 1943, 76 years ago last Sunday, the troop transport USS Dorchester was traveling in a convoy of three ships from New York to Greenland, carrying approximately 900 men. The ship’s captain had been alerted that Coast Guard sonar had detected a submarine, and the ship’s crew was on a state of high
Hanukkah, the Festival of lights, began on December 2 and continues until sundown on December 10. This is a holy season for millions around the world, many of whom are looking for light in a landscape that seems to them all too dark. Uncertainty about the future, regional conflicts, economic instability, environmental fears, problems on
My title today comes from one of my favorite authors, JRR Tolkien, in his classic The Fellowship of the Ring. The poem reminds us to look beyond initial appearances, which can deceive. All that is gold does not glitter,Not all those who wander are lost;The old that is strong does not wither,Deep roots are not
This week, Muslims worldwide celebrated Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. This holiday commemorates the story of the prophet Ibrahim, visited by Allah in a dream and asked to sacrifice his son Ismail as a sign of his devotion to Allah. He nearly does so, only to be stopped at the last minute with
Our question this month is, “Where am I going?” Last week we looked at the ultimate question – where are we going at death? This week, we shift our focus to look at our journey through our years and seasons. Sister Joan Chittister writes that “life is made up of the turning of the years.”