Reflections

"Tom, who so lived his life in the power of the resurrection, longed to challenge and help others to come fully to life, to glorify God by becoming the unique and wonderful person God had made them to be."  Beverly Fisher…

I read an article yesterday in the Boston Globe that really got me thinking.  It was about social media and self-esteem.  The article reported that a 2013 study by the University of Michigan asked participants five times a day to rate their feelings about themselves, and to report how…

Dear Friends of God's Creation, Our diocese's fifth annual Creation Care Season (from St. Francis Day, Oct. 4 through the rest of the Pentecost season until I Advent on Nov. 30) comes on the heels of the Sept. 21 global climate demonstration in New York, at which more than 300,000 people,…

A sermon given on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014, with the Cathedral Congregation of St. Paul, Boston, at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Bowdoin Street, Boston, by the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop of Massachusetts. A video of the full sermon may be found here. A printer-friendly PDF may be…

The sermon given by the Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr., Bishop of Ohio, at the ordination and consecration of the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates on Sept. 13, 2014, appears below.  A printer-friendly PDF may be found at the bottom of the page. “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…

Is it easier to believe Good Friday or Easter?  Is it easier to believe in Good Friday and the betrayal, abandonment, suffering and death of Jesus on the cross or Easter and the resurrection of our Lord?For the first followers of Jesus, it’s clear that believing in Good Friday was a lot easier…

The tomb is empty, and nobody knows where the body is.  Mary Magdalene tells the others about the mysterious disappearance, but they give up and go home.  Mary stays behind, weeping, and then fails to recognize the risen one before her.  As the days pass, each resurrected encounter…

La tumba está vacía, y nadie sabe dónde está el cuerpo. María Magdalena les dice a los demás acerca de la misteriosa desaparición, pero se dan por vencidos y vuelven a casa. María se queda atrás, llorando, y luego no reconoce el resucitado ante ella. Al pasar los días, cada encuentro del resucitado…

As Episcopalians in the Diocese of Massachusetts, we gave thanks last weekend as we elected a new bishop to lead us – the Rev. Alan Gates of St. Paul’s Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.  We will eagerly await his arrival as we look forward to his consecration on Sept. 13. We may have great…

On Saturday, April 5, somewhere in the sea of electing delegates and prayerful observers from across the diocese, there will be a few of us non-Episcopalians.  The Massachusetts Council of Churches will send an ecumenical delegation to watch and pray with you.  Our intention is that our…