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Tuesday, June 16, 2026: Peacemaking, forgiveness, and reconciliation are not some kind of ticket to heaven later. They are the price of peoplehood—the signature of heaven— now . For Jesus, teachings such as forgiveness, healing, and justice work are the real evidence of a new and shared life.  If we do not see this happening in churches and spiritual communities, religion is “all in the head” and largely an illusion.  Peacemaking, forgiveness, and reconciliation are not some kind of ticket to heaven later. They are the price of peoplehood—the signature of heaven—now. Jesus’s first vision of church is so simple we could miss it: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20).  This is surely why Jesus insists that the message be communicated not by a lone evangelist but by sending the disciples out “two by two” (Mark 6:7). An individual by herself has a much more challenging time communicating the core message of love and service....
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Monday, June 15, 2026 Great News for Victoria and her daughter and a call for prayers for Dan Lambert and Dan Vrooman: ( Emily MacDonald and her daughter Pykea) Great News: Emily MacDonald is now an Assistant Professor - Scenic Design, Costume Design at Longe Beach State University: The scoop: On May 26th, Victoria’s daughter Emily received her letter of Tenure as Associate Professor at California State University Long Beach! Victoria writes “I am so grateful! And I am so happy and proud thank you all for your  prayerful support for my daughter, Emily” As we all know, receiving tenure only occurs after years of hard work and in Emily’s field of design, a tremendous amount of creativity, long days and very little money. Congratulations Emily! A bit about Emily: Emily Anne MacDonald designs for Opera, Theater, Concert, and Dance throughout the United States and Europe.  She has designed for notable companies such as the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, LA Phil, San Francisco S...
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Tuesday, June 9, 2026: Upcoming Events this Sunday the 14th of June: 2 Events: #1 No Kings 11 am - 1PM on Farmers Lane in Santa Rosa .  #2: A Live and Streamed Concert to Celebrate the1st Amendment in Sebastopol at the Sebastopol Community Center: 3:30 - 6:30 PM Event #1: In Santa Rosa - 11a to 1p along Farmers Lane.  Here’s a color-coded map of where we will be. We’ve marked areas of available parking. Here’s a map of the bus routes that serve Sonoma Ave., Montgomery, and Farmers Lane. Bus routes serving Sonoma, Farmers Lane, and Montgomery We’ve had a lot of questions — and we have answers. If you are still looking for more information, read this FAQ . This truly is a somber moment in our country. The current president is attempting to corrupt the military, just as he’s attempting to corrupt every other part of our government. If you want to stand with the veterans, join them (and all the rest of us). West side of Farmers Lane, north of Hoen. This truly is a somber moment ...
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Monday, June 9, 2026: 'We cannot get beyond our racial, tragic past without a confrontation with our history. We can't get over something that we've never acknowledged.' -  Fr. Bryan Massingale Descendants of slaves once owned and sold by the Jesuits are among those welcoming Pope Leo XIV's formal apology for the Catholic Church's historical involvement in slavery. The move has been largely praised by Black Catholic leaders, scholars and descendant communities as it renews debate over how fully the church has reckoned with its past. The apology appears in Magnifica Humanitas, Leo's first encyclical. While the document primarily focuses on artificial intelligence and human dignity in the modern world, one paragraph drew immediate attention for addressing slavery and the church's complicity in it. In paragraph 176, Leo acknowledged that ecclesiastical institutions owned slaves in antiquity and the Middle Ages and that the Apostolic See had "interven...
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 Saturday, June 6, 2026:  Someone said grief is like glitter. Dear Sisters and Brothers of Emmaus:  (Corey Patin in Italy) I'm sorry I haven't written for the past couple of weeks. We found out on Friday, May 22nd that our beloved nephew Corey passed away in his sleep during the early hours of that day. It was hard to believe that terrible news and at first I thought someone might have sent us a text by mistake. Sadly, that afternoon my sister Tina, Corey's mother, and his sister Kara confirmed his death for us.  Corey never missed a day of work in 12 years and when he didn't show up his work colleagues grew suspicious. They called Corey's best friend who went to his apartment and found his body. He was only 41 years old.  We had just shared a house with Corey and other family members in Salt Lake City -- a celebration of our niece's PhD graduation. We spend three days retelling family stories, listening to Corey's jokes which he loved telling (he laughed he...
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 Thursday, May 21, 2026:  So why not be ravished by the Holy Spirit? Be overcome, overpowered, transported, delighted, entranced, enchanted, stunned, enraptured into a beguiling dance. More than a dove, the Holy Spirit can be glimpsed in a kaleidoscope of forms by Art Blumberg in NCR I've been told that I must trust in the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit trusts in me. I say this not with pride but humility, and more than a touch of trembling. So far beyond me, yet so near. In all the Spirit's forms and manifestations, how it appears when most needed or when least expected. Keeping my eyes and ears, body, mind and soul open. I believe, yes, the Spirit does dwell within me. Yes, the Spirit does surround and envelop me. As it does for everyone, for everything. Yet in what form will we find it? So often when we think of the Holy Spirit, it's as a dove. A soft trilling coo, comfort and peace and harmony But the Holy Spirit can be wild and tempestuous, coming where and when it w...