Last month, I marked an anniversary: not my birthday, nor my marriage, but the date that I swore an oath to defend the US Constitution, entered federal employment, and became a public servant, 35 years ago. My entire working adulthood, about three-fifths of my life. Longer than my marriage—even longer than I’ve been a baptized […]
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In the HBO television series Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister and his mercenary bodyguard Bronn are walking through the streets of the capital. They happen upon a street preacher of sorts, who condemns the king and royal family, Tyrion’s family, in a fiery rant. “It’s hard to argue with his assessment,” Tyrion jokes. The man […]
Last Tuesday, we experienced a near-perfect first day of fall: sunshine, a faint breeze, mild temperatures. With our work schedules still disrupted by the pandemic, Wade and I were able to take some time and get outdoors. So we headed down to Mason Neck State Park. About halfway around the Bay View Trail, Wade suddenly […]
How many people grew up in a family with a younger brother or sister? Raise your hands. So, I have a story about my younger brother that I bet many of you will relate to. In the early 1960s, when I was eight and my brother Kilburn was six, we got an allowance from our […]
A young man was having enormous trouble in school, particularly in mathematics. His parents decided to enroll him at their local private Catholic school thinking that he would benefit from in person studies, as the parochial school had promised that they would be meeting in person while the County schools would be meeting virtually. They […]
This past Friday, thousands gathered from all over the country for the National Action Network’s Commitment March. The march marked the 57th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. At least one of our parishioners masked up and attended the rally. several other parishioners […]
Out of the many words that might have been; out of the hundreds we hope to hear; out of the dozen sermons I half wrote, and the one I’ll deliver: May a word of your Kingdom be spoken here. Amen. I heard this story from a rerun of the West Wing back when one of […]
Good Morning. Welcome to Holy Cross’ video streamed June 28 service. So, maybe it’s just me, but I have the impression that we Christians these days are spending a lot more time trying to discern our own individual call to mission. What God has called on us, each of us, to do. And that is […]
Are you a covidiot? Or are you a coward, “living in fear of a little virus?” Is your motto “Stay home and stay safe?” Or do you chant “Give us our liberty?” Do you have a collection of colorful fabric masks, or do you sneer at those who wear them? Do you give more weight […]