Mother Mary, Bring Us Peace

by Margie Copeland

As we begin the month of May, my heart is full of thoughts of Mary and so much more.

There are writings about Jesus’ mother, Mary, that share when Jesus was tired or needed a break from his ministry, he would go to his mother. Can you imagine Jesus laying his head upon his mother’s lap to rest from the crowds and the dusty roads? I can.

Grace-Filled Moments Disguised as Stress

by Margie Copeland

The three o’clock hour arrived. The rooms were ready for the children. Packets of Holy Week coloring pages were counted out.

Then the first text came in: “The sitter is not coming. I cannot teach this afternoon.” Then the second text: “So sorry, I forgot about an appointment; I cannot teach this afternoon.” Yikes!

Now came the stress. But being experienced, my overdrive kicked in, and I gathered my wits and combined groups, shuffled some chairs, and just ran around getting things done.

The World Jesus Lived In

Thomas Hart in To Know and Follow Jesus: Contemporary Christology, offers this alternative version of the Caesarea Philippi incident: “Jesus came with his disciples one day to Caesarea Philippi, and he said to them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ And they said to him, ‘You are the Revealer. You are the absolute, unsurpassable victory of God’s self-bestowal. You are the second person of the Blessed Trinity. You are the unbroken contact with the Ground of Being. You are the man for others. You are the Word Incarnate. You are the proleptic manifestation of the eschaton.’

“And Jesus said, ‘What?’”

Messengers of Hope

by Paul Gallagher

Over the past several months, I’ve had the chance to connect with quite a few catechetical leaders. Be it at conferences, small gatherings, or one on one, I’ve counted it as a blessing every time I can enter into a conversation with them. Having been a DRE for nearly 15 years myself, I know the struggles and the graces that come with the job, but it seems to me that, for a lot of people, the daily struggles are getting them down and wearing them out. Money seems to be causing the most stress.