In this season of Thanksgiving we share this beautiful psalm of gratitude that is exquisitely simple and open to living right now. In its depths it calls us to praise God in a way that brings divine blessing on our service and lets us embraces the service of others. Shouts of joyful worship fill our hearts and the hearts of all God's people in every generation. This gratitude is both personal and communal. It teaches us as members of the flock that we act as individuals for the common welfare, not only in our time but for all time.

In this episode we talk about the movement of the divine spirit within Jesus and ourselves. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus who will bring us out of captivity to those things that keep us from recognizing and living out the divinity we are endowed with through our creation. To live out God's command to be happy by walking the way of Jesus requires humility. We must move past the question "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" in order to see the Son of God.

Today we share thoughts and reflections about the Vatican II document on the relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions. One of the beautiful things that came from the conversation is that it is the reason we are able to come together each week and share our faith with prudence and love. Join us as we embrace the beauty and wisdom of Mother Church and her acceptance of all things true and holy in every religion.

Today we talk about the mitzvah (the commandment) of the sukkah, the booth built for the celebration of the Feast of Booths. God told the people in the desert to live in booths and through the generations the Rabbis have struggled to help the people live out this mitzvah. Sukkot is a time of great celebration, a harvest festival to experience life without analysis. The sukkah's roof allows rain to enter, stars to be seen, it shades from the heat of the sun while allowing light to penetrate. It is a sign of God's presence, the light in the clouds of the theophany. Jesus said in John 7:6 just before going up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths, "My time is not yet here, but the time is always right for you." The walls of the sukkah are the mitzvah that we strive to live by, the opportunity to live the word of God, the shelter of God's love and law that is the source of all joy and unity. Celebrate it!

This prayer that culminates the celebration of Rosh Hashanah is about the day of judgement for God's people, an "awesome and frightening" day in which humanity passes before God like sheep. At first distressing at its deepest spaces this prayer is one of hope, of forgiveness, charity and repentance. It holds within it the promise of God's love for his people and God's desire that we do not die in our sins but live in his great and glorious love. Below is the prayer, Una Tana Tokef:

"Let us describe the great holiness of this day, for it is awesome and frightening. On this day, Your Kingship is uplifted, and Your throne is established with kindness, and You sit upon it in truth. True that You are judge, admonisher, knower and witness; and You inscribe, seal, record and count, and recall all forgotten things. You open the book of records and it reads of itself; and the signature of every man is in it. A great shofar is sounded, and a silent, gentle voice is heard; and the angels are alarmed, pangs of fear and trembling seize them, and they declare, “behold the Day of Judgment.” The heavenly host is arraigned in judgment, for they are not guiltless in Your eyes in judgment. All mankind pass before You like young sheep. As a shepherd inspects his flock, making his sheep pass under his rod, so do You cause to pass, count, number, and review the soul of every living being, determining the life-span of every creature; and You record the decree of their judgment.

On Rosh Hashanah their decree is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, how many will pass away and how many will be created, who will live and who will die; who will come to his timely end, and who to an untimely end; who will perish by fire and who by water; who by the sword and who by beast; who by hunger and who by thirst; who by earthquake and who by the plague; who by strangling and who by stoning; who will be at rest and who will wander about; who will have serenity and who will be confused; who will be tranquil and who will be tormented; who will become poor and who will become wealthy; who will be brought to a low state and who will be uplifted.

For as Your Name, so is Your praise, You are slow to anger and easy to pacify; For You do not desire death [for the sinner] but that he turn from his evil way and live. And even until his dying day, You wait for him— if he repents, You immediately accept him.

True, You are their Creator, and You know their impulse that they are [but] flesh and blood. Man, his beginning is from dust and ends in dust; risking his life, he gets his bread, he is like a potsherd that is breakable, like grass that withers, like the flower that fades, like the shadow that passes, like the cloud that vanishes, like the wind that blows, like the dust that flies, and like a fleeting dream. But You are the King, the Almighty, the living and everlasting God."

We have heard it said to love your neighbor as yourself. It can mean to be kind to others, to challenge us to self-care, and in its deepest level to love others and ourselves for who we are in the truth of our lives. What does it really mean to love our neighbor as we love ourselves? In Leviticus 19:18 after the command to love we are essentially to do this because the Lord says, "I am God". What does this mean, then, for our daily lives and relationships if it all comes from being in relationship with God? Please join us for this conversation about what it means to be a loving neighbor.

Leviticus 19 opens with the word of God to Moses: Tell the people to "be holy as I am holy". This chapter, rich in the commandments, teaches us how to be holy, how to exercise the power we have within us as people created in the image of God. It warns of the pitfalls of succumbing to cultures outside the law and helps to bring us back to where we belong, in fellowship with God and with each other.

This chapter, read on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, has us face the question of the ambiguity of meaning that caused Hagar and Ishmael to be driven into the wilderness. On this day of judgement we are compelled to ask many questions about our lives and relationships and how we understand words and actions and the consequences of our interpretation. It pushes our sight beyond the moment for a broader view of history and family. Please join us.

Chapter seven of the Sermon on the Mount speaks about judging as we would be judged, going through the narrow gate, the golden rule, and discerning what is good and what is evil. In all of the teachings Jesus challenges us to examine ourselves and our own motivations and to build on a foundation of rock that is the Word of God. In this conversation we ask those difficult questions that cause us to probe within our own souls in order to see others more clearly. This teaching of Jesus is well known and, as he instructs, to be put into action.

We continue our conversation sharing what it means to be salt of the earth and light to the world.