A Reflection for Tuesday of the First Week of Advent, by Elizabeth Kirkland Cahill
Elizabeth Kirkland Cahill
Betsy Cahill is a writer, biblical scholar, and historic preservationist. Co-author (with Joseph Papp) of Shakespeare Alive! (Bantam Books, 1988), she contributed a chapter to Empty Churches (Oxford, 2018), and has written for both Commonweal and America. She chaired the board of the Preservation Society of Charleston for 8 years, and is now deeply involved as a board member in starting a Cristo Rey High School in Charleston.
Posted inFaith, The Word
2019 Daily Advent Reflections
Join us as we offer daily scripture reflections for the entire Advent season.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
On Holy Saturday, we look back on the sacrifice of Lent and forward to the joy of Easter
Certain memories linger in our hearts with special clarity. For me, a long-ago Holy Saturday that marked the day before my reception into the Catholic Church is one of those.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
What if we didn’t wait until the last moment to trust the Lord?
We might find the quiet peace of genuine trust if we surrendered our willfulness early and often, rather than as a last resort.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
Jesus transforms “the cup of horror and desolation” into the cup of our salvation
The cup of submission, of suffering, of death itself becomes the vessel not of our punishment or of God’s wrath, but of our salvation.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
Sooner or later, each of us has a Gethsemane moment
I was deeply moved by a visit to the Garden of Gethsemane and to the Church of All Nations that is accessible through the garden.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
Like a good friend, God comforts us and cheers us on
Whether we imbibed that living water at a religious summer camp, in a youth group or simply through the regular practice of attending church with family, we are blessed by the abiding, grounding presence of God, even when we drift away.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
During Holy Week, we accompany Jesus to the cross and live in hope for new life
Although it doesn’t always seem so, waiting is an inherently hopeful activity.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
Suffering is not the last word when it comes to life in Christ
As we prepare to enter with Christ into the protracted pain and suffering of his passion and death, let us determine to reach beyond them towards the endless delight that awaits us the other side of the tomb: the delight of life with God.
Posted inFaith, Lent Reflections
Untying our spiritual knots
In times of trouble, our connection to God is our surest lifeboat.