Who Are You? Thoughts on Christian Unity Sunday, January 21, 2018 by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com Christian unity is the name we give to an effort that is marked with a lot of hand-wringing and agony over the actual disunity among the followers of Jesus. Unity being ever elusive, to celebrate unity in a liturgical…
Read more
Spiritualiity, the Radical Notion © by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com Community blog: https://maryofmagdala-mke.org/blog This past weekend marked a moment for our Mary of Magdala community. The moment was about sharing and storytelling and spirituality. The moment lasted two days beginning with Saturday morning’s community meeting and flowing into Sunday’s Eucharist. Pastor Alice, who facilitated Saturday’s…
Read more
The 12th Day is for Showing – Happy Epiphany! © by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com Here’s a thought or two for those (count me in) who operate on the conviction that the Epiphany story is an elegant myth. If you believe that the fulfillment in time and space of God’s Word requires the manifestation of…
Read more
Thoughts on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s Day, December 31, 2017 by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com This Sunday is a not quite this and a not yet that kind of day. Today is after Christmas but not yet New Year’s Day. It’s New Year’s Eve but we gather in the morning. With this…
Read more
Advent …………… the feeling is mutual. Thoughts on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 17, 2017 – Gaudete “Rejoice” Sunday by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com This multi-layered reality we call Advent is at risk of being left-behind. Those who have little appreciation for a religion, a theology that is so much deeper than a “me…
Read more
It’s Advent …………… what if I don’t feel it? Thoughts on the First Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2017 by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com The liturgical version of “What goes around comes around” means that, like it or not, Advent comes around every year – right about this time. If you’re not liturgical you don’t…
Read more
“bots,” “preppers,” and breaking the cycle Thoughts on the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 12, 2017 by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com Fatalism creeps all ‘round us these days. And by fatalism I’m using the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition that says it means “the belief or attitude that events are fixed in advance and humans are…
Read more
“Little Stories and Big Saints” Thoughts on All Saints/All Souls, November 5, 2017 by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com “Who we are now…. and who we will later become….” Adaptation of 1 John 3:3 Now, there’s an indicator of change, the kind of change, for our purposes, that speaks of conversion. And by conversion I don’t…
Read more
“Where have all the bishops gone?” OR “The people do Social Teaching now!” Thoughts on 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 29, 2017 by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com When last we left St. Paul – as in, last Sunday’s second reading from the 1st Letter to the Thessalonians – he reminded them that he led…
Read more
“Virtue in Troubled Times” Thoughts on 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time October 22, 2017 by Rev. Jim Ryan, jimryan6885@gmail.com Maybe you share with me the disgust I am experiencing at a time when the occupant of the Office of President of the United States acts worse than the 5 year old child who has been…
Read more
