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.
-
Women lead amidst the mess
I recently sat across my desk from one of the prophets of the #SaveAsylum movement. The leaders of this organization are an eclectic group of migrants, activists, church and community members from Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, who united in the past year to restore access to asylum at the US-Mexico border. The prophet in front…
-
Sister Mumbi Kigutha: Transforming Pain through Reconciliation
“Defining reconciliation for me is pretty simple, it’s restoring right relationships,” Sister Mumbi explains. But true restorative justice requires four pillars: peace, mercy, justice and truth.
-
God is with us in all this hardship
when chaos storms Capitolsor your fragile heart and mindthe God of order restoresthe law of love remainswhen fatigue bends your body or your ambition, motivationthe God of rest renewsrestoration is comingwhen heartache breaks you downand you are crushed, cryingthe God of comfort holdsfeeling grief is holywhen fear is the fire that burns youand you are…
-
Father Adam Bucko: Every Day A Beginner
In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Father Adam Bucko about contemplation, action, new monasticism and the messiness that permeates it all.
-
The reality of the messy Nativity
I’ve said this before: the story of the Nativity lives in everyone’s heart. The story of the messy first Christmas is your story: you know what it is like to lose control, to deal with the unexpected, to put your life in danger for the sake of others, to be uncertain about the future and…
-
Jon Sweeney: Finding Comfort and Confidence in the Mess
Sister Julia Walsh talks with author Jon Sweeney about his journey from Evangelical Christianity and Moody Bible Institute to writing about saints, becoming Catholic and marrying a rabbi. They also explore his thoughts on what Christians need to know and respect about Judaism. And they discuss Jon Sweeney’s new book about Nicholas Black Elk.
-
Music for Advent during a pandemic
Here we are. We’re in Advent … during a pandemic. Every year, holding out hope and waiting in the dark offers a profound spiritual power to me. During the darkest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, I am consoled by the candlelight while I prepare for Christmas and pray about opening my heart…
-
Thanksgiving Traditions for the Sake of the Common Good
I would like to take on some new practices that challenge the racist systems harming the United States, support a sustainable way of living on Earth and promote the common good.
-
Hope in hard times is an element of our prophetic vocation
I’ve been catching myself singing and there’s a surprising theme to the songs. Considering the state of things, there’s a lot of reasons why silence might make more sense, why a somber state might be more appropriate than song. In recent weeks, the COVID-19 crisis has become so deadly that morgues cannot keep up. It remains…
-
Michael Okinczyc-Cruz: Where Civic Life and Mystical Life Meet
Season 2, Episode 5 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In Season 2, Episode 5 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh and Michael Okinczyc-Cruz discuss how his upbringing and experience as a person of Polish and Mexican ancestry helped bring him to his ministry as…
-
November invitation
after all hallows eve & all saints, all souls i admit my longing for slowing, resting. i name my dreams and groan in prayer. “i sense an invitation in this season.” toss and turn grab the remote recheck the vote count the headlines recheck the heartaches recheck reality lost hopes, now hallowed: the mighty remain…
-
Father James Martin: Prayer and Polarities
In this episode, we talk about the challenges of prayer and polarities in the Church, as well as vocation discernment. As an author, Priest and editor at large for America Media, Father James Martin discusses facing these challenges while remaining true the Gospel.
Let’s Connect
Subscribe and get thoughtful email messages from us
