Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. “Immediately” is a big word in Mark. It appears all over the place and helps him convey the...
Prayer & Mystery
posted by DJL
I’ve wanted for a while to write an occasional series of posts on prayer. Why? Because, frankly, I don’t understand prayer. I know I’m supposed to do it. And I do. But that doesn’t mean I understand it. I don’t understand, for instance, how it works. I’m not always sure what I’m supposed to do, either. And I definitely can’t quite figure out the part about “answered” prayer. Maybe you’ve felt that way, too. Maybe there’s a lot about prayer that you don’t understand, but you still do it. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe prayer is too big to simply understand, too important for us to be able to define simply or once and...
Easter 6 B
posted by DJL
Dear God, You have called us to love, which sounds easy but is often hard. You have called us to obedience, which sounds hard but is sometimes easy. You have called us to obedient love, which sounds like an oxymoron, but really isn’t. You have called us to loving obedience, which sounds...
Easter 5 B
posted by DJL
Lord Jesus, you are the vine and we are the branches, draw us ever closer to you, desiring your commandments and listening for your word. And teach us your love, for perfect love casts out fear. Lord Jesus, you are the vine and we are the branches, draw us ever closer to each other, aching...
Mark 1:35-39
posted by DJL
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that...