Month: December 2020

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Advent Word 2020, Day 9 ‘Comfort’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Comfort  Our times are marked with anxiety under the constraints of COVID-19 as the days grow darker toward the winter solstice. While we cry out into the night, we know God’s glory will soon be revealed. Be comforted and patient. The one whom we wait for brings mercy, forgiveness, truth, and peace. With the consolation we receive from God, and strengthened by the hope of the prophets, we comfort those in any trouble (2 Cor. 1:3). Restore your outlook, speak tenderly, and be kind. “All shall be well, and all matters of things shall be well” (Julian of Norwich).  … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 9 ‘Comfort’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 8 ‘Speak’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Speak Can God open our mouths? And if that were to happen, what would God have us say? The Old Testament offers several stories of reluctant prophets. One of them is Jeremiah, who, upon receiving his call, protested that he didn’t know how to speak. What followed was a truly dramatic episode: “The Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, ‘Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 8 ‘Speak’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 7 ‘Glory’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Glory Remember Saint Nicholas on this St. Nicholas Day Eve! All of Nicholas’ life gave glory to God. He truly lived the two great commandments: to love God and to love neighbor. Nicholas’ protection and rescue of women and children, his feeding of the hungry, and his care for all in need, show us how to live. May we, like Nicholas, so live the way of God’s love for all our neighbors, respecting the dignity of every human being. Then as we work to feed the hungry and free the oppressed, our lives, like Nicholas’, will give glory to God. … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 7 ‘Glory’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 6 ‘Fellowship’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Fellowship If you recognize your sin, if you recognize your need for love and guidance, if you recognize that your life is missing the joy and abundance that Jesus is offering, then accept His invitation and take a seat at the table to eat, drink, and have fellowship with Him. The isolation you are experiencing is caused by your resistance to live into the vocation you have been called to as a child of God. Here’s to Taiwan and Osaka, companion dioceses now for 15 years! Bishop Haruhisa Iso and his wife from Osaka, Japan (right) and Bishop Lennon … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 6 ‘Fellowship’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 5 ‘Rebuild’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Rebuild Jesus calls us to new possibilities in the season of Advent. Indeed, this is a time to rebuild our hopes and relationships, moving us ever closer to becoming the beloved community. With our eyes wide open, let us look at the new, fully inclusive world being created, connected to the loving words of our Lord and savior who tells us to stay alert. With love as the cornerstone of the work to rebuild, we can achieve the goal. This is not the time for sleeping, for as Jesus says, “What I say to you I say to all: … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 5 ‘Rebuild’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 4 ‘Earth’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Earth During Advent, as we live anew the unexpectedness of God’s first coming, the EARTH we stand on and the EARTH we’re made of tremble in anticipation of the birth of mercy and justice. The fig trees teach us lessons about working while we wait, and the darkness of the sun and the moon make us alert to the death of every injustice and the second coming of hope. That’s us! Almost on Top of the World @ Dabajianshan 大霸尖山, Taiwan 3,492m/ 11,456 ft: July 23, 2020 Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 4 ‘Earth’

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Advent Word 2020, Day 3 ‘Strengthen’

Catherine Lee

#AdventWord #Strengthen  Háshįnee in Diné (Navajo) means “Beloved.” One of my spiritual disciplines is to make time to meditate on my ancestral words, which invite me to reflect and grow closer into a relationship with my people and the Divine. Háshįnee must be said from the heart, for it acknowledges profound kinship. Imagine for a moment the way God expresses love and compassion for Jesus: “You are my beloved Son.”  I feel a glowing admiration of love and hope transpire within my soul in response to these sacred words uttered by the Divine. Living in the way of Háshįnee strengthens … Continue reading Advent Word 2020, Day 3 ‘Strengthen’