An Alternative Response to Fight or Flight

An Alternative Response to Fight or Flight

Fight or flight is a physiological response that occurs when we find ourelves in acute stress.  The reaction is triggered by the release of hormones that prepare the body to physically take on a threat or to run away.  Most of us know the fight or flight impulse,...
The Yes and No of Thanksgiving

The Yes and No of Thanksgiving

I am so grateful for the Thanksgiving holiday.  It provides a much-needed break in the relentless pace of the calendar.  Thanksgiving gives us a chance to rest and recollect.   It encourages gathering – loved ones, yes, but also to gather together moments and memories...
The Shadow Side of the Elite

The Shadow Side of the Elite

I received early admission into the cultural elite when I was accepted by early decision at Amherst College in November, 1968.  I had a slim awareness that I came from a community and family of some privilege, as did a majority of my Amherst classmates; but I was...
The Gift and Challenges of Hope

The Gift and Challenges of Hope

Hope is a gift.  A precious gift that was planted in each and every one of us when we were born into the world as imago Dei.  We bear God’s image, and that image features essential ingredients of the divine:   hope, love, along with the capacity for kindness and...
Pre-Election Fears, Hopes, and Revelations

Pre-Election Fears, Hopes, and Revelations

It was the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  I went to Penn Station in Newark early in the morning, located just a few blocks from the office where I served as bishop.  I carried a sign,  “Blessings Offered on the Anniversary of 9/11”.  I stood next to a wall in the...