There is something exotic about a vineyard But then I am from the Midwest where the landscape is dotted with dairy farms And I am a city girl who never experienced the rigors or disappointments associated with cultivating a crop I do remember that like many others my grandfather made wine in

In which specific area of your life must you set aside privilege for the sake of others?

We have learned that God is all-knowing, all-loving, all-just, all-everything-that-is-good, etc. Therefore, we are afraid to suggest that God might not be fair. We are afraid that this might be a kind of blasphemy. But then, how is this parable to be understood?

We all know individuals who pride themselves on “keeping their noses out of other people’s business.”

Some say that a unique feature of the Christian religion is its insistence on forgiveness. Today’s reading from Sirach shows that this is not true.

Nobody wants to suffer Every living being cringes from pain It is almost as if we have within us a driving force to run away from it And then we come across readings like today rsquo s that admonish us ldquo to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice rdquo They seem to call us to act against