Emmaus Blog

 Friday, January 31, 2025:  Love can transform .   What a convert hears and sees at the Western Wall I am on pilgrimage in the Holy Land with a group from my parish. It's close to noon, with hot sun and clear skies. We exit our bus and join hundreds of people walking to the Western Wall. Sounds swirl: drums and shofars, chanting and clarinets. Men in kippahs carry chuppahs; under each is a teenage boy. Today is Monday, and our guide tells us that on Mondays and Thursdays, bar mitzvahs may be celebrated at the Wall.  There are many Christian pilgrims, groups from Ghana and France and Canada and the States, Japan and Vietnam and Korea. Orthodox Jewish men in black suits. Some wear yarmulkes, others more elaborate kippahs, indicating their sect. The noonday sun glares, strong and unforgiving. Two lines form to get to the Wall: one for women, one for men. Men's heads must be covered. I am not wearing a yarmulke, but a khaki sunhat; relief from the sun, but much more impo...

Thursday, January 30, 2025: A Podcast featuring Fr. John Dear and Richard Rohr: Christianity is a lifestyle - a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, and loving. However, we made it into an established "religion" (and all that goes with that) and avoided the lifestyle change itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain in most of Christian history, and still believe that Jesus is one's "personal Lord and Savior" . . . The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on Earth is too great. - Richard Rohr       This week – gotta wait until February 3, 2025 on The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast , (check it out wherever you get you podcasts -- and there are already several to choose from including one ofrom Sister Helen Prejean,) In the one which drops February 3rd, Fr. John Dear welcomes Fr. Richard Rohr Fr. John Dear welcomes Fr. Richard Rohr, one of the most influential spiritual voices of our time. A beloved F...

 Wednesday, January 29, 2025:  Healing Beyond the Cure   Disability rights activist and author Amy Kenny challenges the implications of Jesus’ healing of “the blind man” in John 9, whom she refers to as Zach or Zechariah, which means “God remembers.”  Jesus Heals Zechariah, a Man Born Blind 9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your e...

  Emmaus Celebration for January 26, 2025: We fondly remember John Poole David - Welcome: We begin with a brief explanation of the sharing at Emmaus of our kinship with each other and the simple meal of bread and wine - both of which are central to our celebration. Now that we are all seated please understand that there are no guests here -- everyone is equal, everyone in the circle, everyone welcome.   Opening: We are here today to celebrate the life of John Poole, who had a deep commitment to humanity. He was resilient in the face of adversity and ever so kind, humorous, humble and quirky in the best ways possible. He was a gift to all of us.  He had a vision for the world and he loved people and during our time of shared remembrance we encourage you to share stories about John.  We begin our celebration with a reflection from our brother Dan Vrooman who knew John well and accompanied him through many days of his health struggle. Reflection by Dan Vrooman ...