That's kind of it. I don't have a whole lot of reflection on the topic. I'm not going to write 7,000 words on the importance of supporting trans folks. I'm not going to go through the statistics of how many trans youth are homeless, trafficked, at risk of intimate partner abuse or self-harm, and that … Continue reading Happy Transgender Day of Visibility
Author: St Augustine's at UK Chaplain
Holy Week 2021
This year for what will hopefully be our last pandemic Holy Week, St. A's will be offering services for marking the death and resurrection of Jesus. Each service will begin at 7:00 PM and be online only (with one possible exception). We will gather for prayers, study of our texts, reflections and homilies, and most … Continue reading Holy Week 2021
Repent, the Reign of God is at hand.
In the US we white folks, particularly men, need to take some time as this Holy Lent comes to a close and repent of the communal sin of allowing terror to reign in the lives of women and people of color in the country.
Our Collective Failure
From uncontrolled and unmonitored spread of Covid throughout prison populations, to the illness and death of those awaiting trial (this is essentially a state murder of someone who has not faced trial), to the unjust distribution of vaccines, to the general forgetting of those in jails and prisons that most of the US population does on a regular basis, Covid has revealed, once again, that this is not a Christian nation.
500,000
I come here again to mark another milestone on our Covid journey. By every official measure, we have surpassed 500,000 deaths from Covid-19. Half of a million members of our United States community are dead from a disease that barely existed 12 months ago. Official estimates say there are likely 100,000 more deaths coming in … Continue reading 500,000
Celebrating Ash Wednesday
Yes, I do mean celebrate. For us who are the inheritors of the past few centuries of popular, western Christian thought and theology, we tend to look at Ash Wednesday as a day of mourning and weeping and gnashing of teeth. To be fair, the tone of the day is certainly subdued and introspective. Ash … Continue reading Celebrating Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is next Wednesday!
It's time, or maybe a little past time, to get ready for Lent, that season of reflection, introspection, and penitence that leads up to Easter. Below are a few suggestions for how to prepare for and observe Lent 2021. Make a list of those whom you know you have wronged over the last year and … Continue reading Ash Wednesday is next Wednesday!
It’s time for us to let it go.
After the insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January (the celebration of the Epiphany will never be the same), I started to wonder and learn about several of the groups and ideologies which took part in the attack. This is not a new thing for me. As a student of German and Jewish history, I … Continue reading It’s time for us to let it go.
Advent Appeal
Dear Friends in Christ, As we begin this Advent season, looking back to the year that was, and looking toward the year that will be, I am filled with so many complicated emotions: fear & hope, joy & sadness, longing for an end to the pandemic, and a desire for a fresh start. Most of … Continue reading Advent Appeal
Another Grim Day
Today is another grim day in the United States. Today it is confirmed that at least 250,000 Americans have died of Covid-19. A quarter of a million of our fellow citizens have died since February. To put some context on that number, in less than one year over we have lost half as many people … Continue reading Another Grim Day