Sunsets through church windows produce little visions!!

The Angel on the Creche


The Sun in My Office



Sanctuary Light

Henri Nouwen on “Ministry”

One of the things I like to say is that if you are living in communion with God and in community with people you cannot do other than minister. Ministry is not something you do next. I have a terribly hard time with ministry as something that consists of techniques you have to apply. Ministry is the overflow of your love for God and for your fellow human beings. Someone said to me, “ministry is when two people toast their glasses of wine and something splashes over. Ministry is the extra. The question is not, “How do I bring all of these people to Jesus, or how do I make these people believe, or how do I now do the hard work of ministry?”

Jesus never did much ministry. Jesus spoke what his heart was full of. And anybody who touched him was healed. He didn’t sit people down and diagnose them, or say to them, I can help you but I can’t help you.” People touched him and were healed. He was even wondering what was happening. You cannot but minister if you are in communion with God and in community with other people. People want to know where your energy comes from. They get the overflow. It’s not something that requires professional credentials. Ministry isn’t something you do for certain hours during the day and then you come home and relax. Who knows? Ministry might happen while you are relaxing.

…The whole incarnation thing, God-with-us, Emmanuel, is first of all being with people… Ministry is being with the sick, the dying, being with people wherever they are, whatever their problems.

That is the mystery of ministry. You can’t solve the world’s problems, but you can be with people.


(“Parting Words”)

"O Sacrum Convivium" by Messiaen

Original Latin (punctuation from Liber Usualis)

O sacrum convivium!
in quo Christus sumitur:
recolitur memoria passionis ejus:
mens impletur gratia:
et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.
Alleluia.

Translation of original Latin

O sacred banquet!
in which Christ is received,
the memory of his Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace,
and a pledge of future glory to us is given.
Alleluia.

Mobile#2: "The Invasion of Light"

A piano composition for Advent, 2008.

The Coming Invasion

"Somewhere between the darkness and the light. That is where we are as Christians. And not just at Advent time, but at all times. Somewhere between the fact of darkness and the hope of light. That is who we are.

'Advent' means 'coming' of course, and the promise of Advent is that what is coming is an unimaginable invasion. The mythology of our age has to do with flying saucers and invasions from outer space, and that is unimaginable enough. But what is upon us now is even more so--- a close encounter not of the third kind but of a different kind altogether. An invasion of holiness.That is what Advent is about."

---Frederick Buechner