Posted by marguerite noga on 12/27/23
LOVE NEEDING FLESH
To probe and reflect on the essential meaning of Christmas, I want to begin with two stories…
Story #1
Once upon a cold Christmas Eve, a man sat in reflective silence before the flames flickering in the fireplace, thinking about the meaning of Christmas. ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 12/13/23
A Light Shines on in the Darkness
A Greek philosopher and teacher ended a lecture by asking, “Are there any questions?” One student asked, “Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?” Some laughter followed, and some started to leave, but the professor held up his hand, ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 12/04/23
You Are the Potter, We Are the Clay
Hoping to find a few days’ work, a traveling portrait painter stopped in a small town. One of his first clients was a person with a dirty, unshaven face and bedraggled clothes, and his breath smelled of alcohol. Nonetheless, he ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 11/20/23
Using Our Gifts with a Song in Our Hearts
Three neighborhood boys, Salvator, Julio and Antonio, lived and played in Cremona, Italy, around the mid-1600s. Salvator had a beautiful tenor voice and Julio played the violin in accompaniment as they strolled the piazzas. Antonio also liked music and ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 11/13/23
Making Sure Our Lamps Don’t Go Out
I came across an intriguing story told by a monk who lived many hundreds of years ago:
A middle-aged woman went to a distant monastery for her first weekend retreat in many years. When she arrived at the guest house ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 11/06/23
A Sermon Walking
I have two stories today to help us reflect on today’s Gospel reading…
One afternoon in 1953, reporters and officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station to await the arrival of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. He stepped off the train—a giant ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 9/05/23
Losing Life to Find It
Charles M. Schwab was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership Bethlehem Steel became the second largest manufacturer of steel. One day Schwab found himself in court, where he won a nuisance law suit. He was seventy years old at the time.
... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 8/22/23
The story of a first-century woman who prevailed
There is a story of a young girl who was depressed because she was not beautiful. She was discouraged, but as she grew older, her attitude changed. “I realized that not being beautiful was actually a blessing in disguise,” ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 8/14/23
Where is your faith? Why did you doubt?
To begin, I want to share a couple of stories. The first comes from an ancient tradition concerning the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. Picture the scene of the Hebrew nation led by Moses, fleeing from slavery and ... Read More »
Posted by marguerite noga on 8/07/23
" Pebbles and Diamonds "
A man was walking out in the desert when a voice said to him, “Pick up some pebbles and put them in your pocket, and tomorrow you will be both sorry and glad.”
The man obeyed. He stooped down and picked ... Read More »
