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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Ripples of Time and Democracy
I. On the lakeshore, I stoop close to the ground studying stones. I am mesmerized by the beauty: the shades of blue, white, red, colors of stones made smooth by their repeated encounters with sand, stones, ice, waves. I place my palms upon the rocks and feel the firmness, the tough texture. Granite. Brick. Limestone.…
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4 Great Reads and a Podcast for the Feast of St. Francis
Friday, October 4, is the Feast of St. Francis. Members of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration and others worldwide will be celebrating the example of our beloved patron saint. Please enjoy some of our top content from the past, relating to living like Francis. “Francis reacted to much of the injustices occurring around him…
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Living the Stigmata Today
For years in the depths of depression I had constant thoughts of not wanting to live any longer. This suffering felt tragic and senseless. I could not see a future. It was hard even to see God. I felt worthless, at the same time that I was living my vows as a Franciscan Sister of…
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Rev. Benjamin J. Dueholm: Creation and Community
Episode 79 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More “Discipleship…ought to begin with the idea of being in that relationship of sort of Christ-like care and ministry for other people regardless of what they deserve.” -Rev. Benjamin J. Dueholm IN THIS EPISODE In the latest episode of Messy…
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In Praise of Disenchantment
My region is experiencing severe drought. The grass is pale and crispy, streams are low, the corn looks stunted. Farmers still haven’t gotten their second cutting of hay in, and I worry about what the future holds. This is part of a broader pattern of weather fluctuation that matches the climate assessment for my state.…
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Solidarity is a Way of Making History
There was electricity. A sensation palpable in the air, yet powerfully felt in the spirit. The sounds of feet marching and people shuffling together, the sight of posters and larger-than-life puppets hand drawn and handmade, and voices chanting in unison. Only a solidarity across race, class, gender, and faith this deep for global liberation can…
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Pilgrimage Part II: La Mama Appears
This is Part II of a two-part story. Click here to see Part I. The night I missed the pilgrims’ departure to honor the Virgen de Urkupiña, I imagined the procession getting further and further away… So I tried to pull the story of her appearance closer to me, but the various accounts I had…
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Pilgrimage Part I: In the Dark Early Morning Hours
In mid-August 2017 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, I was nearly finished with Spanish language studies and in no hurry to return home. There was so much I loved about this place: the mountains, always in the distance; “Amiga,” rather than “hey you,” as the standard term of address by strangers; the value placed on a meandering…
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The Ongoing Work of Anti-Fascism
Do you remember where you were in August 2017? At the time, I was living with my aunt and uncle in San Diego before I could move onto campus at Point Loma Nazarene University and start classes again. I remember sitting by their pool in the sun, my 19-year-old hopeful innocence about the world shattered…
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Politics, Prophets, and Family
I grew up Catholic, but the Catholicism of my childhood looks very different from the one I embrace now — especially when it comes to politics. Impassioned political discussion used to be commonplace at my parents’ kitchen table. Debates around crop subsidies, subsistence agriculture, and international trade agreements were hot topics as I questioned the…
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Book Review: What You Sow Is a Bare Seed
On a blazing, Washington, DC summer day in 2021, I walked to the Mount Pleasant farmer’s market with my friends and housemates Joy and Ashley. Joy had been volunteering with Mt. Pleasant library, and at their table they were selling tote bags, stickers, and shirts that said “What’s more punk than the public library?” Joy,…
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Kaya Oakes: On Forgiveness
Episode 78 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More Forgiveness is a process, not a product.” -Kaya Oakes IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Kaya Oakes. Their conversation goes into the issues and ideas about forgiveness that…
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