Women's Leadership Fund

Home ›

Breath of the Spirit

Pastoral, Liturgical, Teaching, and Social Justice Moments brought to you by www.DignityUSA.org.

Breath of the Spirit is DignityUSA’s electronic spiritual and liturgical resource for our members and potential members. Nothing can replace your chapter or other faith community, but we hope you will find further support here for integrating your spirituality with your sexuality and all the strands of your life.

We welcome relevant homilies, inspirational writings, social justice opportunities, or theological articles from other sources also — particularly from wise women and men who can help us grow as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) and allied Catholic/Christians. You may volunteer to help with this program or send your comments by e-mailing info@DignityUSA.org ATTN: Breath of the Spirit.

MARCH 29, 2009: FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Readings: 
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Hebrews 5:7-9
John 12:20-33

Though deeply moved by today’s Jeremiah passage, most of us hesitate to live by its implications. “The days are coming’ says Yahweh, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors. . . I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts. . . All from least to greatest shall know me,’ says Yahweh.”

MARCH 22, 2009: FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Readings: 
II Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
Ephesians 2:4-10
John 3:14-21

During the 2006 baseball World Series, a local St. Louis sportscaster interviewed Andy Van Slyke, the Detroit Tigers first base coach. He asked a logical question. “Andy, after having been a star for so many years with the Cardinals, don’t you feel guilty coming back here as part of the ‘enemy’s’ team?” Van Slyke responded with a smile. “Not really. Since I stopped being a Catholic a few years ago I haven’t felt much guilt about anything.”

MARCH 15, 2009: THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

Readings: 
Exodus 20:1-17
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
John 2:13-25

Two weeks ago, I stressed the importance of covenants in the faith life of the ancient Israelites, Jesus and ourselves. Most of us recognize that today’s Exodus passage narrates the beginning of the third major covenant of the Hebrew Scriptures; the one Yahweh and the Chosen People enter into on Mt. Sinai around 1200 BCE.

MARCH 8, 2009: SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

Readings: 
Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Romans 31b-34
Mark 9:2-10

During the mid and late 40s, my parents never doubted the shoes they bought me actually fitted. Before they made the purchase the sales person simply positioned by newly-shod feet in the store’s X-ray machine. Peering through the eyepiece, I could see the exact distance between the end of my toes and the front of the shoe.

We no longer use such machines in shoe stores today. Sixty years ago we just didn’t understand the danger to which those X-rays exposed us. What seemed good for one generation certainly wasn’t good for another.

Syndicate content