Blog Archive
Contemplating the messiness of Christian life
The Messy Jesus Business Blog is an ecumenical Christian gathering of musings about what it means to live the Gospel today. A variety of contributors offer prayer, poetry, book reviews, creative nonfiction and prose about what it means to live a life of faith in our complex, modern times.
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The spirituality of dumpster diving
I started dumpster diving because of free boxes. I live on the edge of Hyde Park, an affluent neighborhood surrounding the University of Chicago on Chicago, Illinois’ south side. My boyfriend and I used to go for neighborhood walks and stop to pick through curb-side boxes, often left by students moving out of their school-year…
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Vita ex Morte
Loss. It’s a strange word. It implies that you once had a thing and now, not only is it gone, but you can no longer find it. Last night I lost my mom. And yet, is she lost? Is she even gone? My mom was a powerhouse of a woman, and now, she’s gone. Truth…
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A Recipe for Spiritual Reckoning
When the pandemic first began a few years ago, I remember one meme, in particular, that said something like, “We finally have an internationally recognized reason to slow down and look inward. But instead of doing that, we’re all learning how to bake sourdough bread.” The message in the meme resonated with me, and I…
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John the Baptist, Patron of Justice
As a teenager, I discovered Oscar Wilde’s “one-act play, Salome”, a retelling of the story of John the Baptist’s beheading by Herod Antipas. I was intrigued to discover that Wilde’s play is a Gospel story. In the Gospel account, Herod’s wife, Herodias, is angry at the prophet because he has preached against her marriage to…
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Simple Thoughts on Small Things
Moments like this kindle sparks of life in me: pausing meal prep to watch birds gathering on the feeder I hung outside the kitchen window; keeping a field book handy so I can learn their names; discovering that the new birds showing up, those who look both like and unlike cardinals, are not a different…
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Parish Communities: Reflections of Heaven on Earth
Heaven is uncomfortable for me to think about. Sometimes talk about heaven juxtaposes Earth as an evil, tainted place and our bodies as temptations to be subdued until the day when our souls are finally freed. I have long preferred to accept heaven as a mystery beyond my understanding and focus instead on the call…
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Letter to Lady Clare from an imperfect Franciscan Sister
August 11, 2022 Dear Lady Clare, As an imperfect Franciscan Sister, I extend my gratitude for the inspiration and care you provide to me and my Franciscan family on this, your feast day — 769 years since you died in that humble abode at San Damiano, outside the walls of beautiful Assisi, Italy. I am…
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A Story of Our History: Trauma and Systemic Racism
Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Meg Earsley, who celebrates the anniversary of her first vows on Aug. 7, is currently ministering in Bolivia and serving with the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis. Sister Meg is sharing her Bolivian journey of Jesus business, which we all know is sometimes messy, in her photo/reflection blog “Wanderings and…
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Jesus Is Here, Whether You Like It Or Not
It is hot as I walk across the grass. Really hot, with a heat index of 108 degrees, and the humidity is oppressive. Heavier than the heat are the thoughts in my own mind. Grief, pain and depression mix with this pervading sense of loss. I’m sad because of the chaos which is our world…
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Calm in the Chaos: A Review of “The Soul’s Slow Ripening”
In the glow of the dawn light, I gaze at the green leaves thirsty for a fresh rainfall. I notice the longing of my heart in the quiet, the peace before another overpacked, life-to-the-fullest day. This is the time of year when I tend to reminisce, when my mind wanders back to the ease of…
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Religious Life is a Movement of the Spirit
Since the birth of the Church at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has stirred in the hearts of the faithful and called upon some to commit to the Gospel through the evangelical counsels: the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Today the Spirit continues to stir within the hearts of those who love Jesus. Some are…
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Finding Care in the Collective: Is Individualism Weighting You Down?
It was 7:30 a.m. on a brisk morning in the Andean mountains of Bolivia back in 2013. I was immersed in my first year of life as a Franciscan lay missioner and one of the only foreigners participating in a overnight workshop on organic agriculture and forest farming. That day we were invited to visit…
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