Jonathan Ryan's Blog, page 16

Dark Devotional: Sitting on the Porch of Catholicism

  The first reading today mentions a gathering on Solomon’s porch.   I love porches. Porches are where I sit to smoke pipes and drink dark beer with friends. This line, perhaps poorly translated and insignificant, struck me. Porches and friendship go hand in hand.   I chose to write today’s Dark Devotional because this […]

Dark Devotional: Easter Thoughts from the Outside In

  As a kid, I spent a lot of time inside museums. My sisters and I grew up outside DC, and on the weekends my dad would take us to the Smithsonian museums so that my mom could get on with the class preparation and grading that went along with being a teacher. It was […]

Dark Devotional: Second Hand Son, Brother of Jesus

  John 18:1 to 19:42 The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John Jesus. Now and at the hour of his death, what has changed? What is new for me as his disciple? What am I to do? From his cross he told me only one thing: “Behold, your mother.”   Then, as […]

Dark Devotional: Begging to Pray with the Psalms

  I’m listening carefully to the Psalm this weekend, wondering if I can respond to it with any authenticity.   In Psalm 126, we hear   When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing.   We believe […]

Dark Devotional: Fruit Grown from Ashes

  I had a profound fear as a child that I would be found wanting, and be cut down, shunned, and removed from the society of the people I loved.   That fear resurfaces its ugly head in the Gospel this weekend:   “For three years now I have come in search of fruit on […]

Dark Devotional: Squandering Our Inheritance

  This Sunday’s Gospel reading is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Several years ago, the pastor of a small ELCA church preached on this parable as I sat in the back and called on all my powers of invisibility. It was only my second visit, and I wasn’t sure what to think of this […]

Dark Devotional: Un-Irished and Un-Catholiced on St. Patrick’s Day

I like digging holes, hiding things inside them. When I grow old I hope I won’t forget to find them. I’ve got no roots, but my home was never on the ground.   I used to think I was Irish, but that was stripped away when I was an adult. A relative did some digging […]

Dark Devotional: Of Grand Temptations and Ordinary Doubt

  “Father, will you listen to me? Are you still there? Will you listen to a selfish, unfaithful son? I fought you when you called, I resisted! I thought of no more. I didn’t want to be your son! Can you forgive me? I didn’t fight hard enough.”  ~ Jesus in The Last Temptation of […]

Dark Devotional: Where, O Death, Is Your Sting?

  In the second reading, Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Death is swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”.  I like that, where, O death, is your sting?   And I can see Paul rising up on his feet, his voice growing louder.   With the readings […]

Just a Little of That Human Touch

 Tell me, in a world without pity Do you think what I’m askin’s too much I just want something to hold on to And a little of that Human Touch –Bruce Springsteen Some days it goes like this: Cassidy calls her mom, so casually. Calls her because she feels like calling her. Because she has a […]