Mary Joshi

A few weeks ago, I ran into a student I had taught in Middle School over 40 years ago. He related how he was so grateful for the conversations we had shared, and that he wanted me to know that he had “taken my advice,” and had gone into a field of study he has now come to love. I was ashamed to realize that I had only vague memories of the student and had no recollection of any words ...

“Faith is to believe what you do not see;
The reward of faith is to see what you believe.”
St. Augustine

Throughout our lives, we encounter experiences that knock our sense of balance off kilter and we discover that what we believed to be unchangeable is now somewhat unstable. When unexpected loss, trauma or darkness envelops us, or those we love, we sometimes question our deepest beliefs in God and in ourselves. Although varied reasons exist, few of us have managed to ...

The Book of Job is one of the most interesting books in the Old Testament.  Most scholars agree that the person of Job didn’t exist but that he represents every person who has ever suffered undeserved hardship.  Job had everything: wealth, health and a large family to ensure his future legacy.  He assumed his life was good because God had rewarded him for being loyal and for having lived a good and righteous life. (Satan argues that Job is only ...

The recent increase in COVID restrictions has added a whole new level of stress to an already stressful time of year for many. News that a vaccine may be available in the “near future” does little to alleviate the frustration of not being able to be with family and friends, or to ease the worries of financial insecurities. Our ability to be compassionate and tolerant with one another is being stretched to its limits.

I found unexpected comfort in today’s readings ...

“When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?”

Today’s “Parable of the Landlord and the Tenant” describes a landlord who leases his healthy vineyard to tenants. The tenants abuse the vineyard and anyone whom the landlord sends to remind them of their responsibilities.  It is easy to interpret the parable only as Jesus’ incrimination of the Pharisees or those who tried to extinguish his message.  But as Sr. Mary McGlone of Celebration explains, “Parables aren’t puzzles to be understood, but calls to action crafted to ...

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.”

Pat Marrin, of NCR’s “Pencil Preaching” compares last week’s feast of the Ascension to a graduation. Jesus is preparing his disciples for a new and transformed way to live out their understanding of Jesus and his mission. I can imagine Jesus delivering a rousing, convocation speech to the disciples, “You’re ...

“I will… bring you up from your graves, O my people.
I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live…”

Outside my window, birds are singing and tulips are poking through a small patch of warmed soil in my flowerbed. How can nature seem so predictably normal, while in our human reality nothing feels normal or solid? It’s been said that humanity’s true character is often exposed when confronted with great upheaval and uncertainty.  I suspect the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will prove no different ...

Every year, the church designates the week of Jan. 18-25 as the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.” Coming so soon after the busy Christmas season, it rarely merits more than a mention in our General Intersessions. Last week’s snowstorm meant that few were able to hear even that. Today’s second reading from St. Paul, reminded me of last week’s importance and that the need to remind Christians to work together has been an issue since the church’s infancy. As long as humans have egos, and ...

Each day, we hear on the news of leaders who are meant to care for their citizens, use increasingly divisive language to promote their own agendas, and then reports of riots, bombings, shootings and abuse soon follow. It is easy to think that our world is rapidly becoming more inhumane. Yet, if we look at today’s readings, and look at the reasons behind our church’s creation of today’s Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (better known as the Feast of Christ the King), ...

Today’s gospel includes an odd parable that had me confused for years. Why does Jesus seem to praise a scoundrel whose biggest concern is saving his own skin? Perhaps a bit of background about the culture of Jesus’ time may help to explain this parable.

It was common in Jesus’ day for landowners to lease out smaller plots of land to tenant farmers who were often too poor to own the land themselves. If the landowner owned several tracts of land, he might hire a ...