Baptism by Fire, Part 4 I baptize you with water…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [1] After my children were baptized, both as infants, our extended family went out for a nice dinner. It was a celebration of a happy, traditional ritual, after which we all returned to life as usual. … Continue reading Baptism with Fire, Part 4
Category: Life Notes
Baptism by Fire, Part 3
Baptism by Fire, Part 3 I baptize you with water…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[1] When John the Baptist was asked if he was the Messiah – the anointed one chosen by God to save the Jewish people – he responded that one greater than he would come as the Messiah. … Continue reading Baptism by Fire, Part 3
Baptism by Fire, Part 2
Baptism by Fire, Part 2 I baptize you with water…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[1] Lest anyone write off baptism as a trite or minimally-meaningful religious rite, there are interesting psychological and symbolic aspects to baptism by water that are worth considering. Bodies of water are common archetypes for the unconscious, … Continue reading Baptism by Fire, Part 2
Baptism by Fire
Baptism by Fire I baptize you with water…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.[1] John the Baptist plays an interesting, if abbreviated, role in the life and teachings of Jesus the Christ. Described as a relative of Jesus’ through their mothers, John’s biblical role seems to primarily be one of announcing the … Continue reading Baptism by Fire
Contemplative Christmas
Monday, December 30 The Fifth Day Reading: And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” [1] Reflection: On the fifth day of creation, as recorded in Genesis, God called for the creation of “swarms of living creatures” in … Continue reading Contemplative Christmas
Contemplative Christmas
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 Advent: Love, Day 4 Reading: “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.’” [1] Reflection: This passage from Luke is referred to as Mary’s Song of Praise, or The Magnificat. It … Continue reading Contemplative Christmas
Contemplative Christmas
Advent: Peace, Day 5 Reading: “The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.” [1] Reflection: In its common usage, peace is not a singular concept but has many applications, several of which are relevant in preparing for the birth of the Christ-child. One common understanding of peace … Continue reading Contemplative Christmas
Contemplative Christmas
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Advent: Hope, Day 4 Reading: “…now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” [1] Reflection: Two traditional attributes of Advent are waiting and hoping. We wait expectantly for … Continue reading Contemplative Christmas
A Higher Level of Being, Part 6
A Higher Level of Being, Part 6 “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.” T.S. Eliot[1] The image of an iceberg is often used as an analogy for phenomena where only a portion of … Continue reading A Higher Level of Being, Part 6
A Higher Level of Being, Part 5
A Higher Level of Being, Part 5 “I like to say it’s a Christ-soaked world, a world where matter is inspirited and spirit is embodied. In this world, everything is sacred…”[1] Fr. Richard Rohr In past weeks I have attempted to describe how our inner being, our true self – the essential consciousness that is … Continue reading A Higher Level of Being, Part 5
