This year, my new favorite Advent ritual arrived in my mailbox completely by surprise, a gift from my sister. It is the Bible Tea Advent Calendar from Café Emporos (www.cafeemporos.com). The calendar is a gift bag filled with individual packets of tea. Printed on each packet is a Bible verse, brief reflection, and a reflective […]MORE

For several years, I volunteered as an English teacher for a group of women who had immigrated from Mexico. Because of limited space at the front of our classroom, no one sat at the head of the table. I perched at an awkward angle at one corner of the table with the students sitting around […]MORE

The crowd in today’s Gospel has set out on a journey, coming from all corners of the land in a common quest. They have come from nearby neighborhoods, from Jerusalem, from Tyre and Sidon, from the region beyond the Jordan. They have heard that a man has been freed from a demon. Another has been […]MORE