Author Archives: Julie Cicora

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

Seeing the pictures of the Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border is heartbreaking. The families with just a suitcase totally reliant on strangers for food and shelter. It’s cold in Poland. Some people just wanted a chair to sit and rest. They don’t know where they are going or how they are going to getContinue reading “Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,”

Maker of Heaven and Earth

There is something special about the night sky even when you can’t see the stars. It seems immense, unknowable, and deep. People ask me why I believe in God. How can you know there is a God? They ask me. They want me to give them proof. I read Aquinas in seminary and studied hisContinue reading “Maker of Heaven and Earth”

Do you believe in God, the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the pilot light of our spiritual lives. It’s the fire that burns inside of us prompting us to pray, to seek out God, to figure out how to be. We feed the Holy Spirit when we attend church, when we answer the call to pray, and when we take action toContinue reading “Do you believe in God, the Holy Spirit?”

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

I believe in Jesus Christ who manifested the love of God to all people during his short time on earth. This kind of love was so shocking and powerful it energized the people and created anxiety for the leaders who were oppressing them. The Ukrainian woman who offered a Russian soldier tea and her phoneContinue reading “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?”

Do you believe in God, the Father?

This is the first question of the Baptismal Covenant. It seems like a simple question but I want to give a more complicated answer. I believe in a creative energy that I call Love with a capital L. This Love is what created the universe and keeps calling us to love one another and ourselves.Continue reading “Do you believe in God, the Father?”

Repent, Reconciliation, Reasses

Lent is an opportunity to repent, reconcile, and reassess our lives. It’s a process we can use to get ourselves back on track. So each year, I take some time to pause and look at what I want to change about my life. I ask myself, what is working well and what is not? IContinue reading “Repent, Reconciliation, Reasses”

Ash Wednesday

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,    and put a new and right spirit within me. Psalm 51 is used in the Ash Wednesday liturgy. The story goes that King David wrote it after he got another man’s wife pregnant. He saw her and took her against her will. When she discovered she wasContinue reading “Ash Wednesday”