A Positively Poetic Priest

When I was at Clergy Conference this past week, Archdeacon Gail Winslow was talking about a week-long fast he did years ago with Father Adam Trambley. I have read about people doing week long fasts, typically with week long silent retreats, it seems like a bit crazy.  To not eat or talk for a whole week? One on its own seems bad enough. But Archdeacon Gail said that it wasn't too bad, eventually your body moves past the hunger pains and into detoxification mode. The problem then, he said, is that you stink. All the gunk your body has stored up inside of you gets thrown out and he said he felt like he needed to shower every couple of hours. I myself have never fasted that long. I did the 30-hour famine as a teenager. One year for Lent, I fasted on Wednesday and Fridays. But the idea of a week long fast and cleaning out the body is interesting. We do tend to store up, both inside of us and around us, junk we think we need or wish we could us...

I want you to picture in your mind our local drug dealer. Every town has one or two and by the way the local news talks about the drug crises we have more than one or two in Franklin. I want you to try to picture our local drug dealer, wandering down Buffalo Street, thinking about his business, when he stops and looks up at St. John's doors. For some reason, he decides to walk in and say a prayer. He says, Hey God, to you, I'm messed up. Forgive me, will ya? Also in the church at that time is one of our long time faithful regulars, praying. This long time member is giving thanks for something going really well in their life. Then Jesus walks in with a bunch of people and points to the two people praying. He says that the drug dealer is in better standing with God at that moment than the long time faithful member. What? Its a confusing and shocking and harsh parable. What can Jesus possibly mean? Interestingly, this parable only...