Beatitudes Blog
Invisible People (poem)
Invisible People J. Marshall Jenkins As I age, I see invisible people whom I once walked past in my youthful hurry. Some literally shrink, with brittle bones bowing, slow gaits, dim eyes, ears catching only echoes. They wear a practiced smile. My late mother retreated...
Wake Up With Augustine: A Sermon on Romans: 13:11-14
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor...
Christian Spirituality of Now: A Sermon on Matthew 24:36-44
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor...
Hazelnut and Popcorn (poem)
Hazelnut and Popcorn J. Marshall Jenkins Because God loves it, a hazelnut holds the whole world, said Mother Julian. So hold the world in the palm of your hand. They say great things fill the world: governments, military operations, corporations, stock markets,...
Compassion Spills from God’s Broken Heart
A touching image of God’s mercy…
My Friendly Quarrel with Buddhism
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). The stories I hear as a psychotherapist and the narrative of Christian discipleship intersects in redemptive suffering. The fires of affliction, betrayal, injustice, diminishment, and loss forge...
Belief In the Far Reaches (poem)
Belief in the Far Reaches for Wanda J. Marshall Jenkins In midsummer 1969, my parents let me stay up late to watch the Apollo 11 moon landing and that “one small step,” that “one giant leap.” The subject came up soon enough weeks later among us fifth graders...
Being Lost and Knowing It: Sermon on Luke 15:1-10
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing...
Mom Was Right
Living with some contradictions can bear much fruit. Let me share mine with you.
The Disruptive Love of Christ: Sermon on Luke 12:49-56
I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather...
Interview With a Sycamore (poem)
Interview With a Sycamore J. Marshall Jenkins If the young sycamore, so open-armed in my yard, could answer, I would ask, “Do you yearn to reach higher, wider, spring greener with more leaves? In the fall, will you strive for color? In winter, will you strain strong...
Letting Go and Loving: How the Fourth Beatitude Changed Me
On the grace that comes after letting go….
As a psychotherapist and spiritual director, I bring well-honed insight and skill to these posts; yet, my vulnerability plays a more important part, for more than advice from experts, serious people of faith need resonance with fellow travelers.
In my writing and in your reading and comments, may we face our challenges in God’s compassionate presence rather than in a private dressing room where we try in vain to make ourselves presentable to God at an appointed meeting. God meets us where we are.
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