My mother was a great cook and rather good at making pastries – cakes, pies and my favorite, cream puffs filled with real whipped cream and drizzled with dark chocolate.  Whenever we would celebrate our birthday, my mother would let us choose what we wanted for dinner, including dessert; what a treat that was!  My mother was also good at teaching us how to cook and eager to help us do well.  One day, as my mother’s birthday approached, my older sister, Yolanda, announced that she would make the dessert: […]

Over the past three weeks, the Sunday readings have reminded us of God’s covenant relationship with us.  Remember, a covenant is an agreement between two parties, based on love and calling for a faithful relationship. God has established covenants with us because of his infinite love.  He promises to care for us and calls us to be faithful to him. On the first Sunday of Lent, we heard of God making a covenant with Noah, promising him that “there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.”  This is […]

Jerusalem has been much in the news lately as the war rages on between Israel and the Hamas.  I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of the old city of Jerusalem.  The Al Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Golden Dome of the Rock, dominates the ancient skyline.  The gold-encrusted dome sits atop a Muslim mosque and a site that is sacred, not only to believers of Islam, but to Christians and Jewish people as well.  Those of you who have been to Jerusalem certainly remember the first time you saw this […]

Every ancient civilization records a great flood occurring in their distant past.  We now know it was the result of the end of the last Ice Age some 10,000 years ago.  You can imagine the great destruction caused by the receding glaciers and the floods that ensued as they melted.  As you probably know, the Great Lakes were carved out and filled in at this time.  It was just another moment in the evolution of our planet but, like many other ancient civilizations, Israel saw a divine lesson in this […]