Many years ago I entered the hospital room of an elderly lady who greeted me with the words, “you shouldn’t have gone to all that trouble for me. I’m so ashamed. I was always been a clean person.” It took me a moment to realize that she was embarrassed because I had to put on a mask, gown and gloves before entering her room. She had tested positive for an antibiotic resistant “superbug.” that she had picked up in the …
“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term …” The opening words to the reading from Isaiah, set the tone for all of today’s readings. They acknowledge that there is pain in the world and the path of our lives can be filled with obstacles, but they also promise that the hardships and the suffering will not last. God will gather us into his …