Parish News

May 10, 2026

Wholly Holy: What a Gift

“You created my inmost self, knit me together in my mother’s womb. For so many marvels I thank you; a wonder am I, and all your works are wonders (Psalm 139: 13-14).

Indeed, every part of my being is a wonder: my complex physical body, my conscious mind, my ever-seeking spirit. The world and everything in it is a marvel: each plant, each animal, each drop of water. The overflowing grace of wisdom and love is an amazement. “How hard for me to grasp your thoughts, God, there are so many!” Everything is a gift and without the fruits of the earth, the grace of God and the blessing of my mother, I would have nothing.

Thank you, God, and – oh – thanks, Mom!

May 3, 2026

Wholly Holy: Perception Calls the Shots

Imagine you are visiting someone who lives near a swamp. At dusk, you walk outside and there, in a grassy spot ahead, you see something very narrow, long and curved and so you quickly turn around and go back inside. With a racing heart you say, “I just saw a snake on the lawn!” Since snakes live not far away, and in the dim light it looked like a snake, and you were just about to step on it, you immediately went back inside so you wouldn’t get a snake bite. That’s a pretty good example of how perception is affected by a person’s learnings (this is what snakes look like), your memory (you’ve heard stories about snake bites), your expectation (if I stepped on it I might get bitten and die), and your attention or lack thereof (not taking a close look). We don’t see reality as it is; we perceive it as we are: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. And we base our interpretations, judgments, and actions on our perceptions.

Jesus taught that our view of the world interferes with our ability to see reality clearly and truly, and that affects how we are in the world. “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13-15). “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22-23). “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”

Jesus invites us to see the world His Way. (Matthew (7:3-5)

April 26, 2026

Wholly Holy

There’s nothing real but thinking makes it so.” Shakespeare

Our thoughts come unbidden and sometimes unwelcome. Unless we are focused on something specific, our thoughts tend to go from one thing to the next, quickly, without stopping, and without awareness of what we are thinking. We find we can’t turn our thoughts off, and sometimes we can’t direct them as we want. Sometimes we find ourselves entertaining thoughts that serve no purpose whatsoever! We make snap judgments, we spin stories that may or may not be true. We ruminate on the past, create scary stories about the future, hang on to negative thoughts about ourselves or others, not realizing that many of those thoughts are neither creative nor useful.

Without awareness of what we are thinking, our thoughts become repetitive and we develop habitual patterns of thinking; that is, the more we entertain particular thoughts, the more our minds are prone to generate thoughts of that nature. Positive thinking breeds positive thinking; negative thinking breeds negative thinking. Studies have shown that approximately 80% of our thoughts are negative and are more readily recalled and have a stronger impact on our mental, psychological and physical processes than positive thoughts. Which ones do we want to treasure?

“Where your treasure is, there will your be heart also.” Matthew 6:21

April 19, 2026

Wholly Holy: Movement Matters

Movement is Magic: it increases life-giving oxygen to all of your cells, and removes toxins and waste.

Movement is Medicine: it is linked to improvement in many diseases such as heart disease, autoimmune disease, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, low back pain, and it keeps joints fluid.

Movement impacts Mental Health: it is linked to improvement of stress, depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s, sleep, anxiety and ADHD.

Movement creates Momentum: it initiates a powerful feedback loop that positively affects your brain, creativity, sense of well being, sense of self and connection to Spirit.

Movement is Music to your body so “praise the His name in the festive dance!”

~Psalm 149:3

Good News: Movement does not require “exercise!” It can simply mean, for example, walking, stretching, taking the stairs, vacuuming, standing on one leg for several seconds and playing any sport!

“Keep squeezing drops of sun … from the most significant movements of your holy body.”

~Hafiz

April 12, 2026

Wholly Holy: The Spirited Heart

The heart beats about 100,000 times daily, and as many at 3.5 billion times in a lifetime. This small muscle pumps blood throughout your body about 70 gallons per hour and about 1,680 gallons per day. What a miracle! But the heart is not responsible only for physical work.

Science has demonstrated that through a network of neurons within the heart it also functions as a “brain” which communicates with the brain and nervous system, immune system, hormonal system and most of the body’s major organs. Therefore, the activity of the heart influences our emotions, mental states and overall health. It has also been shown to affect our experiences related to spirituality such as perceptions, intuition, beauty, unity and oneness, to name a few. Negative emotions, negative mental states, unhealthy practices and lack of spiritual experiences all affect the heart negatively. The reverse is also true: positive emotions, mental states, healthy practices and spiritual experiences affect the heart positively. Everything is related!

The amazing thing is that practicing having positive emotions, positive thinking, healthy habits and attention to spiritual experiences directs the heart to function coherently with your whole self! Let the practicing start with the breath: inhale deeply, exhale completely, breathing rhythmically and with full awareness several times daily. Add an attitude of gratitude. Pay attention to your thoughts. Open your heart to spirit.

“God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Romans 5:5

April 5, 2026

Wholly Holy: What Nourishment Do You Choose?

Many of us probably have a pretty good idea what is healthy to eat, and what is not. Knowing the importance of healthy eating, why do we reach for the chips or the ice cream when we’re really not hungry? Is it just because they taste good, or from boredom? Or might it be that there is some anxiety that needs to be soothed … or some emptiness that needs to be filled … or some sorrow that needs comfort … some lack of sweetness that begs for sugar, or some discontent that yearns to be satisfied?

Eating consciously is one way of living consciously. When we are not making conscious choices in something so nourishing as healthy food, how consciously are we making other choices? How conscious am I of what I really want or need, what I really yearn for? What is it in me that really needs soothing, or comfort or satisfaction? During Lent and the Easter season, we learn that Jesus was very much aware of what he was doing, and what he was facing. On the day of Passover, he was clear about his intention with the Passover meal (which was comprised of healthy foods according to the Jewish law), and he was clear about what lay ahead: a path that he willingly chose, and was able to do so, because he turned to his Father in prayer and trust. Perhaps when we’re making our choices, we can turn to the Father in prayer and trust.

“Happy those who trust in you, O Lord.” Psalm 83:13

March 29, 2026

“The more aware you are of your body, thoughts, emotions and connection to God, the more freedom of choice you have, and the more awareness of your wholeness and holiness.”

The above is the first thought in a series entitled “Wholly Holy” which will provide reflections on a variety of topics: the health of your mind, body, or emotions, spirituality, facing uncertainty, dealing with loss or grief, life challenges or transitions, parenting, and many others, as well as reflections on the feast days of the year and the preparation for them. Here is the first reflection:

Your body is considered to be the most complex entity in the universe: a marvelous machine of various cells, systems and functions all intimately connected and entirely infused with Spirit. Everything you think, say, do, and all of your emotions have an effect on every part of your body. So, get to know it. Take time, even if for just a few minutes a day, to become aware of, learn from, and thank God for the whole of your amazing body.

“Lord, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139