Articles

Following the previous teachings is a new section in Mark's Gospel characterized by wonderful healing stories flowing naturally from Jesus' message and his understanding of God. Despite the fact that the disciples were given special explanations of the parables, they will demonstrate that they still have much to learn.

Is there any hope on the horizon for someone who has broken the laws of the land and is now serving time in prison? Are these individuals to be considered society's refuse? Do we turn away from them? For many who have worked in the prison system (as chaplains or volunteers), the answers to these questions glow with promise. Indeed there is always hope of release from the enslaving beliefs that have brought someone to the point of incarceration.

What's the commonly held thought about aging? Isn't it often a fear of having to slow down, retrench, and look backward? Isn't it often a fear of becoming inflexible and rigid both mentally and physically, of becoming a burden to ourselves and loved ones? But those fears really should have nothing to do with our advancing experience. Passage of time and limitation shouldn't be equated.

We think differently about time, depending on what we are experiencing. If we are waiting to grow up or if we are anticipating some special event in the future, we may want time to move quickly.

I sometimes ask myself, What thoughts am I entertaining about Church? I know that what I cherish in thought has a direct bearing on what I see expressed. Welcoming within our hearts the fact that Church is a spiritual idea, not a physical structure, can mean that wherever we are, we take Church with us and can never be separated from it.

Many of the individuals Christ Jesus responded to with healing love would not have been considered a typical audience to the religious leaders of his day. There was, for instance, his effective response to a centurion from the pagan nation ruling over Israel, who asked Jesus to heal his servant.

The fact that we have trying experiences doesn't mean that we are on trial. How could man, God's own image, His reflection, be on trial? It's not possible.

What Christ Jesus has done for all mankind! He has shown us the way of salvation. He showed us how to understand God better and to obey Him, and so gain the resulting freedom from bondage and despair.

I don't want anyone to be victimized! And I don't want to be victimized! My deep feelings on this subject go back to a time when my husband and I were starting a tennis business. We had scraped together all the money we could and had just enough to be able to open our business.

I knew there was going to be a lunar eclipse that night. But I hadn't planned on staying up to watch it.