Religion

“There is no peace on earth,” I said, “for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned these words in a poem written during the Civil War in 1863. The poem was later set...

On Oct. 7, 1885 a 16-year-old German barber named Friedrich boarded a ship for New York.  Fleeing the military service then required in Germany, he became one of over a million German immigrants who flooded these shores between 1880 and 1885.  Once he had accumulated...

St. Matthew’s Gospel records a very quiet and subdued version of the birth of Jesus. Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. The marriage would be consummated when Joseph took Mary to his home. That would happen after about a week of celebrating...

Lifetime friends and Catholic Saints Francis and Clare lie entombed in their charming hilltop hometown of Assisi, Italy. Saint Clare, dead more than 700 years, lies incorrupt in a glass coffin inside a church built in her honor. Meanwhile Saint Francis lies in a...

In our busy lives here in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and beyond, we often feel stressed by traffic, work deadlines or daily chores. We look for peace in vacations, shopping or other external things. But what if the real source of happiness has been inside us all...

Growing up, I treated being grateful like a chore. You know the drill: “Remember to thank the host.”
 “Thank your brother for sharing that toy.”
 “Did you write a note for all the presents people gave you?” It always felt a lot like being told to clean...

Every year the Interfaith Clergy Alliance (ICA) and Interfaith CommUNITY of South County (ICSC) host a Thanksgiving service on the Sunday before the Thanksgiving holiday. Our goal is to provide an opportunity for those who live in the southern parts of Santa Clara County...

In my experience with my colleagues who are faith leaders in the Interfaith Clergy Alliance, I have come to learn that each faith expression has some kind of sacred writings. These give guidance as to how we are to live out our faith in our...

The Interfaith Clergy Alliance of South County, whose members provide these articles each week, includes Jews, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. All but the Buddhist share a common scriptural text, what Christians call the Old Testament and what Jews call the Tanakh.  In this, they are...

This weekend we observe two cultural/religious days: Halloween and All Souls’ Day (Día de Los Muertos in Spanish). The celebrations are related but not identical.  Día de Los Muertos, observed on Nov. 2, is a day to remember loved ones who have died. In Mexico...