On Holy Cross Day (September 14), we honor Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We thank God for Jesus’ willingness to endure a tortured death for our sakes. Centuries later, this day might also be set aside to observe the (holy) cross-bearing of those who sacrifice their well-being for the sake of others. This day could mark the suffering of anyone whose life is filled with sorrow—who carryMORE...
Along with Holy Cross Day (September 14), each Good Friday is a good time to contemplate the meaning of the cross in our lives. That reflection includes remembering with both sorrow and gratitude Jesus’ redemptive death by gruesome torture—nails in his wrists, thirst/hunger, exhaustion and his slow death by asphyxiation. In his suffering and dying we are granted forgiveness and salvation—aMORE...
During Lent, one of the things we acknowledge and celebrate is Jesus’ willingness to *empty himself completely in order to take on human form. In the Greek, this is called kenosis, literally a “pouring out”. I may be stretching the point, but there seems to be a lot of this kind of behavior almost everywhere I look. People who are giving up almost everything in order to care for others, to liveMORE...
I’ve always wondered how it felt to be Don Quixote. He was an elderly fellow—50-ish, considered old in his time—when his self-appointed adventures began. Deemed insane, foolish or both, this self-designated knight took on a series of causes that, in his mind, were necessary for the well-being of others. His self-image can serve as a warning for any of us who imagine the importance of our lives inMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.