Thoughts and Prayers: The Religion Thread

I can't even imagine not being there with my sister when she was dying. Holding her hand, trying to comfort her meant a lot to me. The funeral as well, reconnecting with old friends and relatives I hadn't seen for years.
I really don't know what this "all means" in the grand scheme of things. I'm guessing people needed to "trust" that there was some great meaning to catastrophies in the world, or in their personal lives - if only to give them the courage or faith to get them out of bed in the morning. I do know that it has been eye-opening seeing how people behave and respond when a lot of the abstract concepts that are part of various religious teachings have such monumental real-life stakes. And it is quite apparent that how deeply religious someone says they are - or whether they don't consider themselves religious - doesn't predicate how they are responding to this thing - one way or the other.

 

Francis, OG.

 

the fact that mainstream (lol) Christians don’t disavow these Christian terrorists shows that all Christians are extremists, either directly or indirectly

 

Happy Easter y’all. Felt weird to put on the seersucker for a front-yard photo, but tradition dictated.

 

and to you, my friend

and to Haspel of New Orleans

 

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Odd worshiping from home. First time for that. But it was fine, just fine. Jesus showed up. He always does.

 

...and also with y'all.

 

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.

 

This Lent was one for the books. Since I had the time, I actually went to church and was luck enough to join in with some nuns doing the rosary (which I'd never done before). Did the Stations of the Cross three times before I realized that the "meditations" on each station aren't concrete and are whatever who is leading/guiding the thing decides them to to be about - though the prayers at the end are kind of standard. I've always felt like a substandard Catholic - probably still am, but at least I had the chance to try these things out.

 

The United Church of Christ’s original suggested call-and-respond benediction to its pastors for Easter Sunday services addressed that, and the pastor at one of the UCC churches in the nearby metrosprawl edited it into something a good bit tighter and more focused for his Sunday service on YouTube:

Do not look for the risen Jesus only here, in the confines of the church building. Seek the risen Jesus on the roads and in the streets, in all the pathways and byways of our lives. Do not seek comfort in the familiar, but dare to risk the unfamiliar – we know that Resurrection makes all things new! Do not cling to all the old, expected notions about God, Jesus, Spirit, but go forth and celebrate this truly new Good News. Christ is Risen Indeed!​

He said that his church’s online stream April 5 had three times as many viewers as they’d ever had show up for their busiest Sunday service, which I found intriguing.