July 2023

Hey Y’all, The other day, somebody I know well asked if I was enjoying my “down-time” during the summer. (This friend of mine is not churchy at all. He has no idea what I do as a priest. He has little understanding of finding value in work. He gave himself over to a lot of “down-time” since he made a boatload early on and retired at the age of 40.) As I’ve told him before, that priests don’t follow a scholastic

But, though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; One of the characteristics of a great leader is humility. With humility comes the ability to be patient, compassionate and merciful. Proud, powerful people are rarely able to accept others as they are. Instead, they judge harshly, criticize often, and shame those who they are supposed to lead. Although God is “the master of might,” He accepts us as we are, where we are.

Hey Y’all, Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he? Have you ever heard that one? When I was a kid in kindergarten, a speech therapist taught me this tongue twister. From my speech therapist’s point of view, this little play of words was supposed to “twist” my tongue so I could better produce sounds the English language required for comprehensibility. However, for my little kindergarten brain, I wanted to make sense of this nonsensical little poem.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart…my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” The word “yoke” is the Greek word zugos, referring to a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals (usually oxen) and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull, so they could combine their strength to pull a load that would have been too much for one animal to pull alone. The