Religion

Each January brings the renewal and optimism of a new year. A time to start anew and recommit to being the best version of ourselves. As part of this, many choose to set goals to help them focus their efforts and prioritize their time...

We are experiencing a lot of fear these days.  Sometimes fear is legitimate and real. Other times, our fears are overblown and irrational. We call these kinds of fears phobias. The fear of immigrants coming into our country is a phobia, that is, an irrational fear. Some running for...

“Happy Holidays” is the cheerful greeting we encounter this time of year. Many of the world’s religions celebrate a variety of holidays during what may feel like the darkest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. Many use fire and lights to brighten up...

“Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their parents; only for one’s own crime shall a person be put to death.”  — Deuteronomy 24:16  This injunction in the Book of Deuteronomy is a reversal...

The past two months have been a painful period in Jewish history. On Oct. 7, as Jews around the world were celebrating the holiday of Simchat Torah—rejoicing with the Torah—the season of darkness arrived early with Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. Now we are...

Methodists have long been known as “a singing people.” I am not a good singer, but I can say that I am a passionate and, hopefully in God’s ears, a beautiful singer. Singing is one of the important parts of my life and in...

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed. The Holiday Season is in full swing. The ramp-up started the day after Halloween, thanks to retailers who let us know Christmas is coming and it’s time to get ready! For many Christians though, there’s another season that...

These are difficult times. The world has seen worse, but there is no denying the fear, the sadness and the general feeling of desperation that has become so prevalent these days.  In a recent article in The Atlantic, David Brooks writes that the “percentage of...

Longtime St. Catherine Parish member Anna Quinones and Maria Dominguez, the church’s office manager, led the preparation, organization and distribution of Thanksgiving meal baskets for families in need on Nov. 18. Photo: Michael Moore While Thanksgiving is often celebrated as an opportunity to enjoy abundance...

I am fascinated by etymologies, the origins of words. As we approach Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about the origin of our English word “thank.” It comes from the P.I.E. (Primitive Indo-European) root tong, to think. Thank is related phonetically to think, as sang is to...