St Thomas

This past weekend I had the honor to officiate at the wedding of my nephew, Mark, and his wife, Jennie. In my remarks at the ceremony, I chose to reflect on the age-old question, “What is love?” because I wanted to share a perspective that was perhaps new for many of the people listening. It is common to think of love as a feeling one has for another. While feelings are certainly one aspect of love, what I believe, and what I shared in my remarks, is that love is most importantly, a decision. Feelings ebb and flow in all relationships (marriage and otherwise), and yet the decision to act with love is a choice that is always possible. If you think of the people that you love and that love you, you will likely realize that the expression of that love has involved countless decisions over time that have…

Throughout the world this past week, churches held special services for the blessing of animals. People young and old brought their pets to the service to have them prayed over and blessed. When I have had the honor to help at these services, I have blessed beloved dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, fish, and even a few stuffed animals that children lovingly brought with them to church. I have friends who have blessed horses, cows, goats, rats, and snakes! The reason these services were happening this week is because it the time of year that churches remember is the Francis of Assisi, otherwise known as St. Francis, who died on October 3, 1226. Francis was well known for his love of nature and of animals, and he regularly preached about the importance of learning to be good stewards of all of God’s creation. One saying attributed to Francis appears…