Nov 29, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “Recessional” was composed on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The poem expresses pride in the British Empire, but also an underlying sadness that the Empire might go the way of all previous empires. I was recently...
Nov 22, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
The headline of the lead article immediately grabbed my attention. Our Memphis daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal, shouted in large black letters: The US has no Black Catholic saints. Could a future one be buried in Memphis? (10-17-21) The picture accompanying the...
Nov 15, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
Not long ago, I went through two or three weeks of difficulty sleeping. One evening, in the closet where I prepare for bed, I found a small placard hanging in a very obvious place, “Don’t Count Sheep; Talk to the Shepherd.” That’s SO, Jerry.” Jerry is my wife, nothing...
Nov 7, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
On the Christian calendar November 1 is celebrated as “All Saints Day.” The practice began in the 4th century to commemorate the martyrs who had died for the faith. Over time, it developed as a celebration of all the saints of the church, whether known or unknown. In...
Nov 1, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
Recently, two brief news articles caught my attention. According to a study in the medical journal Pediatrics, during COVID-19, more than 120,000 children in the U.S have lost a parent or grandparent who was a primary caregiver. More than half of these children are...
Oct 25, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
“It isn’t any of our business, is it, Lord?” A little girl with a tender conscience asked this question in her evening prayer. She had seen a poor, needy man on the street that day. “Oh, Mama,” she had said, “let’s help him.” The mother had answered, “Come...
